Sevgül Koçak: He taught me how to stand tall

2020-05-04 11:36:11


	İSTANBUL - Stating that her brother Mustafa who lost his life on the 297th day of the death fast is a 'symbol of justice', Sevgül Koçak said: "Mustafa taught the people how to stand tall against injustice".

	21 days after Helin Bölek who lost her during her death fast on April 3, Mustafa Koçak, being held in Kırıklar No 1 Prison has lost his life as well. 28 year old Koçak was accused of providing the gun that killed Public Prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz in İstanbul Courthouse on March 31, 2015. Koçak was sentenced to aggraveted life in prison last July. Koçak then started a hunger strike, demanding a free trial and that his torturers to be prosecuted. Koçak who turn the hunger stike into a death fast on the 93rd day, lost his life on the 297th day of the death fast.

	 

	Sevgül Koçak, who made an effort to make his brother's voice heard by the public during his action, told about his brother, whom she referred as cheerful and good humoured. Sister Koçak who stated that his brother was into sports and telling that he was helping their father in the shop from an early age, said: "He was extremely fond of reading and this was the greatest pleasure of his life. He took the university exam in prison and he got into a university's journalism department but he couldn't make it because he was in prison and he started sociology in distant education.

	 

	Sister Koçak, reminding that her brother was arrested upon a statement of a confessor, pointed out that his brother was kept in prison for 14 months pending trial. Koçak said: "We saw that the court decided their verdict long before the trial. All tools proving his innocent was ommitted by the court. When Mustafa was convinced that the court was biased, he started a hunger strike demanding fair trial."

	 

	Sister Koçak, stating that the case against her brother was aimed to mend their prestige, said the judges also knew he was innocent and condemned him anyway. Sister Koçak stating that his brother was blatantly left for dead, said: "They tortured him while he was 30 kilos as if what they already did to him was not enough."

	 

	LAST PHONE CALL

	 

	Sister Koçak, reminding his brother telling her that he can not breathe, said: "Those words indicated that the end was near. We were also gasping for breathe while we were speaking to him. Imagine your child is dying to prove his innocence and some people are ignoring this to prove they caught the criminals."

	 

	Stating that the police threatened to take the body from them if they attempted to take him home, said they were forced to bury his brother under police supervision.

	 

	Stating that Mustafa was the symbol of justice, Koçak said: 1"Mustafa taught us to stand tall in the face of injustice. The hisroty will prove his innocence. As his family, we will keep pursuing justice. The whole world will hear how an innocent young man died in the hands of the state and the judiciary."

	 

	 

	MA / Kadir Güney