Çiğdem Mater is a film-maker, producer and journalist. She is one of the seven people who were sentenced to 18 years in prison and arrested for “aiding the attempted overthrow of the government” in the Gezi (2013) retrial in 2022.
From one insider to other insiders: Letter from Çiğdem Mater
Bakırköy Women’s Closed Prison,
06.04.2025
Dear everyone,
Actually, the tradition is to say “hello” to new detainees by sending them letters or cards through the post and addressing them namely. However, you have grown so numerous in the last six-seven months that I thought I would write a letter from the inside to the inside and say “hello” to you all through BirGün [newspaper] instead. I would have really liked to address you by your names but if I did, I would need a full page over a several days. Don’t hold it against me!
When we first got arrested, I used to tell all my visitors “if we don’t get out fast enough, you will join us slowly”. This sentence was probably spoken by many other prisoners before me. I won’t rejoice in the realisation of my prophecy but I do think the “normalisation” of being imprisoned is -however absurd and strange- good. In the past, it was subject to embarrassed whispers, now it’s almost a matter of pride.
Recently, I also thought: the pre-requisite to have a university diploma (which I find meaningless) in order to be president should be replaced with the condition of having been imprisoned. The entire political range would be secured for the next 20-30 years. When we got arrested in April 2022, we received “hello”s from prisons all over the country, cards and letters were sent from acquaintances or strangers, in any case people we suffered the same injustice with…
“Hello”s coming from prisons are very valuable. The feeling of not being alone is priceless, and as a “newbie”, the advices you receive from regulars are golden! I’m sure you will receive a lot of similar letters too. Judging by the madness of arrestations lately, chances are you already started to receive them! Another valuable thing about these letters, in my opinion, is that they serve as proof that history doesn’t begin with “what we suffer”.
I’m not only speaking about current times. Let’s skip the Ottoman times and focus on the history of the Republic. This has happened for the last hundred years, can happen and will possibly happen to everyone…
Lately, I’ve come across several references to the story of the yellow ox1. It’s true, we should never have sacrificed the yellow ox. However, ‘to each their own yellow ox’ it seems. From the Istiklal tribunal2 to the Takrir-i Sükun Law3, from the Varlık Vergisi[Wealth Tax]4 to the Yassıada trials5, to Deniz Gezmiş-Hüseyin İnan-Yusuf Aslan6, to March 12th, to September 12th7, to February 28th8, to the Cumhuriyet trial9, to Gültan Kışanak and Fırat Anlı10, to the first co-presidents of a party Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ11, from the Kobani trial to the Gezi trial12, to the countless trustees13 in between… We have sacrificed so many yellow oxen that if we came up with a test asking “which yellow ox is yours?” the answers would range from A to Z, the ones mentioned here are only the one that came from the top of my head, screaming…
But let’s go back to the “insiders”, us. The knowledge that this isn’t only happening to us, that it happens to all, at all times, and that unfortunately, if things keep going at this rate, it will go on happening, this knowledge is what keeps us standing – however strange and absurd it may be.
It’s really important not to feel alone in prison. And, in my opinion, routine is what makes daily life flow! In the first letters I received, everyone said “create your routine”. Because in the first days I was like a rabbit caught in the headlights, a fish out of the water, I didn’t really get it. (-don’t worry, your confused state will pass very quickly, you will rapidly stop thinking “where’s my phone?”!), then I understood. Once your routine is set, time in prison passes surprisingly fast. If the routine breaks, and our country is to thank for that, they’re champions at coming up with ways to break routines, those hours and days won’t go by. That’s why you need to embrace routine!
The backbone of my routine is reading and writing, therefore the library is of utmost importance. For some reason, each prison of this country has its own rules and system. For years, we said “let academia be autonomous”, it turns out that prisons are. The rules and systems concerning books are also different in each prison, but you will rapidly find your way around, I’m sure. Once my reading pace was settled, what surprised me the most was, due to the nature of prison and its lack of outside stimulus, how quickly I read and how much I took in. That is, I don’t want to praise prisons but, when there’s no distractions, reading takes a whole other pace.
What requires the most attention in your daily life is your health, of course. The main thing is to preserve yourselves. You will lose weight at first, don’t worry but be mindful of what you eat and drink (-that is as much as possible, given the circumstances!). You would not believe what the legendary samovars and kettles of the cells can cook! You will come up with such creative ideas in the kitchen and your daily life that you will be proud of yourselves.
As you should! Create “spaces” for yourselves, if you have the possibility. I know it’s difficult to find a table, a corner, a nook of your own in crowded spaces, but try!
Don’t form into the shape of the mould you have been put into. I suspect you won’t be able to anyway, let the mould adapt to you! Keep on being yourselves. Your ability of survival will help you, don’t worry!
As for the most important part: JOY! Your joy will help you. Don’t lose your joy, your laughter, burst into laughter! Because all that is happening is so strange and absurd, we know it can only be received with laughter. And we know that what upsets the ones who threw us in here the most is our laughter, they can’t stand it, because they don’t know how to deal with it. Thousand of us are detained in prisons across the country without any charge, proof or justice but we’re at peace, and this peace and joy take root in knowing we’re in the right and we’re innocent. I hope these days will pass, maybe some of you will be reading this letter not in Silivri, Metris, Menemen or Sincan14 but at home. But if not, if it’s taken longer – and it can – then, you have to embrace books, your rightfulness and your joy!
From Bakırköy, with my deepest affections,
Çiğdem
P.S.: FOR THOSE ON THE OUTSIDE
When in prison, you need a lot of items from home such as clothes and shoes. As you’re inside, people outside always struggle to find the things you need. I feel that the right thing to do given the current situation (-for now) is for all the people who are still outside to prepare a little prison bag, just like an earthquake bag15. It seems as though we’re all in for it. The rules are simple: blue and green are forbidden, clothes with inscriptions are forbidden. Not a rule but a suggestion: laceless shoes, cotton clothes. If the bags are ready, you won’t have to trouble anyone with it. And if you’re on medication, register it on E-devlet [E-government], I’m speaking out of experience, it’s very important!
Çiğdem
06.04.2025
- This is the story of a herd of Oxen. Every day, lions would try to attack this herd, without ever succeeding because the oxen were too numerous. One day, they came up with an idea. They went to the herd and said “Sorry to disturb you but this yellow ox has caught our eye. If you deliver him to us, we won’t bother you ever again”. The head of the herd thought about it and decided it was worth sacrificing one ox in order to protect the herd, he accepted. However, the lions kept coming back, requesting a single ox every time, and the head of the herd accepted. Until one day the lions, who managed to reduce the size of the herd one ox at a time, attacked them all. At that moment, the head of the herd who asked “Where did we go wrong?” was met with the answer “We went wrong the day we sacrificed the yellow ox”. ↩︎
- Independence Tribunals were established in 1920 during the Turkish War of Independence in order to prosecute those who were against the system of the government. These courts were invested with superior authority. ↩︎
- The Law on the Maintenance of Order was passed under Ismet Inönü in 1924. Considered to be the first martial law of the Turkish Republic, it aimed at banning and punishing any revolt or uprising. ↩︎
- The Wealth Tax was established in 1942. Individuals that were taxed had 15 days to pay their debt, after a month they were sent to work camps. Officially, this tax was meant to concern the entire population, but in reality it was systematically applied to non-muslim minorities such as Jewish, Armenian and Greek orthodox people. ↩︎
- The Yassıada Trials were a series of criminal cases in Turkey brought by the military regime against politicians of the formerly ruling Democrat Party. Following the coup which removed the Democrats from power on May 27, 1960, the military junta established a special court to try the politicians who had been removed. These trials which were held in the prison of Yassıada began on October 14th 1960 and ended on September 15th 1961. They resulted in the execution of the former prime minister Adnan Menderes and two of his ministers. ↩︎
- Deniz Gezmiş, Hüseyin İnan and Yusuf Aslan were three of the founders of the People’s Liberation Army of Turkey (THKO). The three student leaders were executed by hanging in 1972, following the military coup of the March 12th 1971. They were 24-25 years old. ↩︎
- Military coups took place in Turkey on March 12th 1971 and September 12th 1980. These coups were followed by periods of dictatorship during which grave human rights violations were committed. ↩︎
- With the 1997 military memorandum, decisions issued by the Turkish military leadership on a National Security Council meeting on 28 February which 1997 resulted in the resignation of Islamist prime minister Necmettin Erbakan of the Refah Partisi [Welfare Party], and the end of his coalition government. ↩︎
- Trial during which editors and journalists of Cumhuriyet [Republic] newspaper were judged based on the allegations that they were members of FETÖ (The Gülen Movement), DHKP-C (Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front) or PKK (Kurdistan’s Workers’ Party) and/or making propaganda for these organisations. . ↩︎
- Gültan Kışanak and Fırat Anlı were elected co-mayors of the Municipality of Diyarbakır in 2014. However, they were detained in October 2016 with allegations of being members of PKK. The government placed trustees from its own party (AKP) instead – it’s a common practice of the government to replace democratically elected mayors with individuals of its own choosing.
↩︎ - The co-présidents of HDP (People’s Democratic Part) were arrested at their homes in october 2016 on the allegations of having a link with PKK. Although this decision was contested by the European Court of Human Rights, they are both still illegally detain ↩︎
- The Kobanê trial is a politically motivated trial against hundreds of pro-Kurdish politicians and human rights activists, especially against high-ranking members of the Peoples Democratic Party (HDP). The trial is related to the events from Kobanê in October 2014. Officially, the defendants are accused of being members of a terrorist organization and of endangering the “unity and territorial integrity of the state.”
Sixteen people were judged during the Gezi trial with the allegation that they organised the protests that took place between May 28th and August 30th of 2013. Osman Kavala was sentenced to life in prison while seven others were sentenced to eighteen years. ↩︎ - cf. footnote 10. ↩︎
- Names of prisons. ↩︎
- Because Turkey is subject to earthquakes, it is recommended to have an ‘earthquake bag’ ready, just in case. This bag should contain clothes, a first aid pack, a flash light, water, food, etc. ↩︎
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