“They may keep me in prison for years, but they can never imprison my mind, conscience, or determination to fight”
We publish the letter that Murat Arslan, President of YARSAV, has sent to MEDEL from Sincan prison where he is unlawfully detained.
Murat’s touching words are once again the strongest and bravest support to our common fight for justice and human rights.
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Dear colleagues, dear friends,
Happy New Year to you all. While you are experiencing the excitement and joy of entering a new year, I am marking my 3000th day in a prison where my freedom has been stripped away, and I have been torn from my loved ones and incarcerated.
Despite having completed the necessary time for conditional release, my parole was arbitrarily denied on the grounds that I refused to admit to committing a crime, with the justification that I was not ready to reintegrate into society. I was denied a right that even mafia hitmen and rapists have benefited from, despite my life being devoted to the struggle for rights and freedoms. I submit to your judgment this injustice, which continues the unlawful practices of the trial process and cannot be explained in a democratic framework, as only possible under the application of enemy criminal law.
However, as time has also shown, they may keep me in prison for years, but they can never imprison my mind, conscience, or determination to fight; they never have and never will! In my defense during the trial, I said:
“I am not someone who can be intimidated, disciplined, or silenced in prison. Forget the prison; I am the heir to revolutionaries who went to the gallows with a smile. The values of the fighters for rights and freedoms, whose banner we have taken up, gain even more meaning with every development and serve as our source of inspiration. You can imprison me for years, but you cannot break me. I would rather be a prisoner of fascism than its judge. Until now, I have stood by the oppressed, the wronged, the marginalized, and the exploited without questioning their identity or personality. I have not submitted to oppression, fear, or tyranny, and I never will. I will not bow to any power, nor will I beg fascism for mercy or descend to the level of surrendering to fear. The price I pay only confirms the righteousness of my struggle, strengthens my belief in a brighter future, and fuels my resolve to fight for rights and freedoms. It serves no other purpose.”
Years have passed since then, and I continue with the same faith and determination. To adapt a stanza from the great poet of our homeland, Nazım Hikmet, who himself spent many years in prison:
“I mean, not to boast but,
I pierced through eight years of captivity in one breath like a bullet. And if we set aside the ache in my knees,
My spirit is still the same, my mind is still the same.”
Despite all our optimism, what I have experienced and all that has happened sadden us all, no doubt. Yet we will not succumb to despair or darkness. Despite the price we pay, we must remain optimistic. The virtuous efforts and unwavering solidarity shown by you, my esteemed colleagues and friends across the world, keep our hopes for brighter days alive and fresh at all times. We will not give up on striving to make the world a just, peaceful, and secure place for all humanity. I have no doubt that the struggles we endure during this era of fear and darkness will one day be recognized, from a historical perspective, as a turning point and that our cause will be vindicated.
Throughout this process, you, my dear friends, have never withheld your support from me; you have always made me feel your presence, and you have shown it in action. I am deeply grateful to all of you. Moreover, I extend my heartfelt thanks to the many colleagues who, through their letters, have ensured I never feel alone. (I hope those whose names I could not list individually in this letter due to length will understand.) Your messages of support are so precious to me that words fall short of expressing my gratitude. Thank you all.
As for my personal condition, both my physical and mental health are in excellent shape. I can sincerely say that in these 3000 days, not once have I woken up feeling hopeless or unmotivated. I know that these dark days will also pass. One day, justice will return to this country, and the rule of law will prevail. As Bertolt Brecht said:
“The waters of the rivers carry the stones,
One day the tyrants will be washed away and vanish, No matter how long the night, the sun will surely rise.”
With the hope of reuniting with all my friends in an honorable, fair, peaceful, and bright tomorrow befitting human dignity, I once again wish you all a happy new year. With sincere love and greetings,
Murat Arslan
