Pregnant woman acquitted by Turkish court from all charges over alleged Gülen links after she lost her baby, her job

Pregnant court clerk E.U., who lost his baby because of heavy stress she lived under police detention after she was taken into custody over her alleged use of ByLock mobile phone messaging application and who was also dismissed from her duty in a provincial courthouse, has been acquitted by a Turkish court from all charges against her 2 years after the case was filed.

Turkish authorities believe ByLock is a communication tool among alleged followers of the Gülen movement. Tens of thousands of people, including civil servants, police officers, soldiers, businessmen and even housewives, have either been dismissed or arrested for using ByLock since a controversial coup attempt on July 15, 2016.

Thirty-two-year-old E.U., who used to work as court clerk at Trabzon Courthouse, was detained by police in August 2016 over her alleged use of ByLock and being an alleged member of the Gülen movement. According to a report by online news outlet TR724, E.U., who was reportedly pregnant for 8 weeks at that time, had to be taken to a hospital because of heavy stress and panic she experienced under police custody. After the medical examination at the hospital, the doctors said her that there is something wrong in her baby’s heartbeat.

Although E.U.’s family requested from the police officers to allow her to stay at the hospital, the police officers reportedly refused this demand and took her back to the detention center. On the 4th day of her detention it was said that E.U.’s name was not on the ByLock list. Following her release, the young woman was immediately taken to an hospital again. However, unfortunately, the doctors told her that she lost her baby.

E.U.’s tragedy has not ended there. Six months later she was dismissed from her duty where she used to work for 4,5 years.

However, E.U. has learned 3 days ago that she was acquitted by a local court from all charges against her. She spoke about her feelings after she learned that she has been acquitted in an interview she gave to Milliyet daily.

E.U. said that “I was taken into custody by policemen, who suddenly raided my house. Nobody explained me why I was taken into custody. When I was taken to the Trabzon Security Directorate, I learned that I was detained over my alleged use of ByLock. We were asked if we were using ByLock. I have heard about ByLock for the first time that day. I had not even minor relation to the organisation (the Gülen movement) in question. At least, my way of life is far from them. I am a graduate of Turkish teaching department. I have taken examination for public duty (KPSS) many times but I have not been able to be appointed. Since I could not be assigned, I started to work as court clerk thanks to my KPSS score.”

“I was very frightened and I had lived heavy stress under police custody. I cried incessantly along that night and I got flu in the mid of summer. I was told that my baby had problems with her/his heart when I was hospitalised. Despite of that police took me back to detention center,” E.U. said and added that “After 4 days, I was released due to non-existence of my name on ByLock list.”

“As soon as I was released I went to the hospital. The doctors told me that my baby’s heart stopped. I had to have an abortion. My baby and I did not have any health problems before police detention. I was detained on an assumption. They had suspicion about me that I was  using ByLock, but they are not sure. Just because of this, just because of ByLock that I have never used, first I lost my baby and then I lost my job,” said E.U..

“The problems did not end with these either,” said E.U. and continued: “Since I live in a small town, people have always approached me with prejudice. At the end of these two years I was acquitted, but during this time, I have been very weary both materially and spiritually. I have been unemployed for two years.”

“It should not be such easy to destroy people’s lives. No one has the right to do that. Despite they have all the facilities on their hands, why did not they do the necessary research without detaining me?”, asked E.U..

Women and mothers, who have been jailed in the unprecedented crackdown in Turkey, have been subjected to torture and ill treatment in detention centers and prisons as part of the government’s systematic campaign of intimidation and persecution of critics and opponents, a report titled “Jailing Women In Turkey: Systematic Campaign of Persecution and Fear” released in April 2017 by SCF revealed.

In several cases, mothers were detained in the hospital immediately after the delivery of a baby and before they had a chance to recover. Many mothers were jailed as they were visiting their imprisoned husbands, leaving the children stranded in the ensuing chaos.

In a 28-page report issued by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in March 2018 emphasised on the detention, arrest and torture of pregnant women and children in Turkey in 2017.

The report said that “OHCHR estimates that approximately 600 women with young children were being held in detention in Turkey as of December 2017, including about 100 women who were pregnant or had just given birth.

“OHCHR documented at least 50 cases of women who had given birth just prior to or just after being detained or arrested. OHCHR received a report concerning a woman who was sexually assaulted by a police officer during arrest. Moreover, NGOs brought to the attention of OHCHR at least six cases of women who were detained while they were visiting their spouses in prison. They were either detained together with their children or violently separated from them.”

Turkey survived a controversial military coup attempt on July 15, 2016 that killed 249 people. Immediately after the putsch, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government along with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pinned the blame on the Gülen movement.

Fethullah Gülen, who inspired the movement, strongly denied having any role in the failed coup and called for an international investigation into it, but President Erdoğan — calling the coup attempt “a gift from God” — and the government initiated a widespread purge aimed at cleansing sympathizers of the movement from within state institutions, dehumanizing its popular figures and putting them in custody.

Turkey has suspended or dismissed more than 150,000 judges, teachers, police and civil servants since July 15. On December 13, 2017 the Justice Ministry announced that 169,013 people have been the subject of legal proceedings on coup charges since the failed coup.

Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu announced on April 18, 2018 that the Turkish government had jailed 77,081 people between July 15, 2016 and April 11, 2018 over alleged links to the Gülen movement.

The post Pregnant woman acquitted by Turkish court from all charges over alleged Gülen links after she lost her baby, her job appeared first on Stockholm Center for Freedom.

from Stockholm Center for Freedom https://stockholmcf.org/pregnant-women-acquitted-by-turkish-court-from-all-charges-over-alleged-gulen-links-after-she-lost-her-baby-her-job/