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THE NEW VOICE OF TURKEY’S FASCISM IN BELGIUM: HUGO COVELIERS Hugo Coveliers Recently he went to Turkey in the company of a parliamentary delegation. He was warmly received by Turkey’s murderers and torturers. He was in fact the guest of honour at a sumptuous reception given by the well-known Sabanci. And since then Coveliers has become a bitter enemy of Fehriye Erdal. In the meantime, Fehriye had gone on hunger strike. He freedom depended on her only weapon: her body. In fact, she was in great danger. At the height of this hunger strike, Coveliers said, “If she wants to commit suicide by blackmailing Belgium, that’s her problem.” In this Belgium of the year 2000, the remarks of this fine individual betray something of a backward mentality, not to say mediaeval. In fact, just who is Mr. Coveliers? His started running his political marathon in the ranks of the liberal party VU. At that time, he supported the struggle by Basque and Irish independence supporters against being extradited! Then he carried on his career in the VLD, leaving behind such youthful follies. Today, according to him, it is necessary to hand Fehriye over to the torture centres or deliver her up to the scaffold because “we are being put in an embarrassing position with regard to Turkey”. Hugo Coveliers is thus prosecutor, judge and executioner, all at the same time. He knows nothing of Sabanci’s record. But he is working furiously to have Fehriye sent back to Turkey to be judged. He justifies this by saying that if she is innocent she can prove it in court. Which happens to be impossible because there is no justice in Turkey. There is no impartial system of justice and even the judiciary in Turkey have acknowledged this. Moreover, the European Court of Human Rights has condemned Turkey on numerous occasions. Coveliers proposes having her judged in Belgium according to the charges on her file in Turkey if she cannot be extradited there. In Turkey, Fehriye is accused under Article 146 of the Turkish Penal Code. In other words, she is accused of subverting the Constitution. The punishment is death. Does such an article exist under Belgian law? Are those opposed to Belgium also to be subjected to the death penalty? Opposing the constitution is a political crime and there is no equivalent charge under Belgian law. But note that Coveliers is also playing the role of judge, convinced that Fehriye took part in the killing of three people in Turkey. Coveliers is fantasising, not only because she did not play the slightest role in the attack and there is not the least proof of her alleged participation. Coveliers decides that it is a matter for “extra-judicial execution” and in the following scenario he will play the role of executioner. Despite being a lawyer he is negating the principle that somebody is innocent until guilt is proved. Coveliers even goes so far as to react in an unrestrained way to the Belgian Justice Ministry decision that “Fehriye cannot be judged in Turkey”, he said, “It’s not the Justice Ministry but the judge who should decide.” The journalist who was interviewing him said, “And if the judge should reach a similar decision?” Then Coveliers, gripped by enthusiasm, said: “Then it will be necessary to change the laws and institute the required judicial reforms.” Then he really let the cat out of the bag: “A communist girl assassinates three industrialists for being capitalists and we’re not supposed to do anything about it.” This remark gave away the rabid anti-communism that motivates him, a sentiment which outdoes that of his fascist counterparts and the reactionaries from the Cold War period. WE WILL REPEAT OUR QUESTION, MONSIEUR COVELIERS: “WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM WITH FEHRIYE?” M. Coveliers, politics are motivated by thoughts. The faculty of reflection and systematising thought is a characteristic of human beings which distinguishes them from other living things. To put it more strongly, the capacity to engage in politics is a human characteristic. However, politics are determined by virtuous principles, opinions, or sometimes, as in your own case, by your personal interests. So what has changed about the world is that you have changed your beliefs. Have you not changed your opinions because your personal interests have triumphed over your principles? And then, according to you, present-day Turkey has evolved to the point where human rights are more respected than they were in Spain or England three or five years ago, to the point where torture is outdated, massacres are forgotten, fascism has been abolished and we are about to be provided with a shining example of a democratic system. What has changed, M. Coveliers? Permit us to tell you this. In Turkey, nothing has changed. Prisoners are still beaten to death with truncheons and clubs. The slaughter at Ulucanlar (Ankara) which took place less than a year ago and cost the lives of 10 revolutionaries, remains engraved on our memories. Less than two months ago a prisoner in Burdur lost an arm under appalling circumstances. Tell us, Coveliers, that you never heard about anything like that, that you don’t know that in our country over the past 30 years, tens of thousands of people have been murdered by the authorities. What world do you live in, M. Coveliers? Have you never heard of torture, deaths resulting from torture, rape as a torture method, disappearances in police custody, extra-judicial executions carried out in the middle of the street, the bombing and depopulation of villages, the compelled exodus of millions of people? Or are you one of those who deny that the Holocaust happened? In 1996 revolutionary prisoners in the jails of Turkey were on the Death Fast. The then Justice Minister Sevket Kazan declared confidently, “Nothing will happen to them, they are eating secretly.” Scarcely a week after he said this, 12 prisoners were martyred as a result of the Death Fast. Do you know what happened to this Kazan? In the mind and heart of the peoples of Turkey, he has become an enemy of humanity, a vulgar calumniator. His political career has ended and he is now damned for ever. OK, let’s say it was a fascist minister who said such things. But you, what’s your problem, what have you got against us? We are fighting fascism and we consider this to be legitimate. If you are worried about keeping your word to Sabanci, you should first know who this Sabanci is that you defend so passionately. You know that the fascist party MHP which is guilty of killing thousands of people has seats in the coalition government. Sabanci is one of those who supports this party financially and so he is one of those who has direct responsibility for the torture and massacres in our land. Together with Fernand Schmitz, who pretends to be a lawyer and who defends Sabanci, you two make a real pair. A long time ago, Monsieur Schmitz organised press conferences where he debated the need to defend RAF (Red Army Faction) prisoners. Now he is a renegade. Manifestly what you have in common is not changing in line with the dictates of your conscience but according to the dictates of keeping your wallets well-stuffed. Sabanci is a businessman, he knows what he wants and when to get it. For him you are merely merchandise to take advantage of. Such a fall as yours is truly awful to behold. The only thing to be pleased about is that you are a good example of what road not to follow, and that is the only aspect of your existence which has any meaning. THERE ARE ALSO PEOPLE WHO LOVE YOU, MONSIEUR COVELIERS. Do you know that in Turkey, the fascists, the torturers, the murderers, the parasitical exploiters, the collaborators, the traitors to the homeland and the journalists who are foaming at the mouth love you very much? How pleased they are, the scrapings of the fascist regime, that in Europe “there are people who think like them”. Live long and prosper, Coveliers! Fascist Turkey has been trying for years to explain itself away, but in vain. The authorities in our country have not managed to legitimise their fascist massacres, but you have found a way. But just remember this for your own benefit: people do not watch anti-communist films mainly dating from the Cold War with the same attention, you know. Moreover, the DGMs (State Security Courts), which are particularly preoccupied with Fehriye’s file, are military institutions not recognised by Europe. You who violate human rights so crudely: even the European Union wants Turkey to dissolve these tribunals as a sign of its will to democratise itself. So what period are you living in, Coveliers? You have forgotten one thing. One thing which appears small but whose value is great. People of your type are not rare but that has not stopped them being condemned at every period of history. People like you have been condemned by the consciousness of the peoples. Senility is an illness, Monsieur Coveliers. There is nothing shameful in looking after oneself. But defending the antithesis of democracy, gluing oneself to everything that is anti-democratic, standing up for illegality and the policies of banditry, the propaganda of fascism, torture and massacres is legally a crime. There is only one thing to be ashamed of. You’re quite a fellow. What interest do you have in being so aggressive, at your age? Do you not realise that you are making a fool of yourself? SHAME IS A CHARACTERISTIC OF HUMAN BEINGS, MONSIEUR COVELIERS. THE STRUGGLE AGAINST FASCISM IS LEGITIMATE AND NOBODY CAN CAST A SHADOW OVER IT WITH DEMAGOGY DEVRIMCI HALK KURTULUS CEPHESI, Belgium |
