Cenk Yiğiter: Aim is to Spread the Climate of Fear

* Photograph: Eğitim-Sen Ankara Branch No. 5 / Twitter

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"I am of the opinion that the aim of my detention was to intimidate, to spread the existing climate of fear in the country and to bring the dissident people, who raise their voices to an extent, into line."

Dr. Cenk Yiğiter, who was discharged from the Faculty of Law of Ankara University as per a Statutory Decree and has been released after being detained in a raid conducted to his house in Ankara on November 9, has commented on his four-day period of detention with these words.

CLICK - Academic Cenk Yiğiter Released

Yiğiter, who was charged with "engaging in actions and activities in the name of a terrorist organization", made his deposition at the security directorate on Sunday (November 11). The Prosecutor's Office, to which he was referred to today, ruled for the release of Yiğiter without taking any further deposition.

"I did not know the charges until my deposition at security directorate"

Speaking to bianet, Yiğiter has stated that he was not subjected to any ill treatment during the house raid or detention and added:

"I did not know what charges were brought against me until I gave my deposition at the security directorate. My attorneys were also not informed about the charges on the ground that there was an order of restriction.

"When I saw the questions at the interrogation in the security directorate, I saw that they (charges) were nothing but nonsense as I had anticipated.

"I know only one of the people indicated in the file. S/he was a student of mine at the faculty. S/he got an appointment from me, saying that s/he was also thinking of becoming an academic and wanted to ask me what to do and how to proceed. I remember that student from there. S/he was also under custody with me and also released afterwards."

Dr. Yiğiter has also stated that there is nothing in the case file which specifies what exactly binds the names indicated in the file together: "There is no information as to why they have put all these people in a joint list."

"Students, MPS, attorneys are captives"

Yiğiter has commented on his detention by referring to the "climate of fear":

"While I was in custody, our friends from the Education and Science Workers' Union (Eğitim-Sen) and Union of Political Science Graduates of Ankara University (Mülkiyeliler Birliği) as well as MPs emphasized how baseless this operation was. I have been released thanks to them.

"However, in our country, tens of thousands of students, attorneys such as Selçuk Kozağaçlı and others, MPs, Eren Erdem, Osman Kavala have been captives as part of similar unreasonable operations. These are all steps taken to spread the climate of fear to the whole country." (BK/SD)