This text is also available in Greek
“Beauty is about the one who gazes at you. It is a byproduct of the gaze, as the gaze is the product of an idea. One’s ideas form their gaze and their gaze develops their understanding of beauty. I will always be beautiful for the ones who are like me, and I will stay beautiful forever. I will be beautiful to my own eyes, as I know why I acted in a certain way and I have been facing the consequences.
Fascism tried to destroy us together with our ideas. They burned us alive. Our comrades saved us, it is their sacrifice that kept us alive. We promised to ourselves “we will give our lives”, and I gave some parts of my body. Everything develops according to the nature of the war. I will adapt myself to conditions of the war so that I can be victorious in this battle. This is the only reality for me.”- Birsen Kars
Grup Yorum song on Bayrampaşa Prison massacre and 6 revolutionary women, who burned alive.
Recent Grup Yorum song for Birsen Kars.
We provide a translation of the only known (to us) interview of the revolutionary Birsen Kars, who died on 6th of February 2022 in Germany. Birsen Kars was one of the many prisoners who was attacked by the Turkish state during the infamous military operation ironically called “Return to Life” on 19th of December 2000. This was the biggest ever militarized operation towards inmates in the world back at that time, and the biggest military mobilization after invasion of Cyprus by the Turkish Armed Forces. 28 inmates were killed, all of them were political prisoners.
We will provide an overview of the events, but if one would like to know more about the details related to 19th of December massacre, we provide a link to translation of “December 19, 2000 Massacre in the Prisons of Turkey, Bayrampasa Lawsuit” by Istanbul Branch of Contemporary Lawyers’ Association, provided by our friends in New Solution Magazine.
Throughout the ‘90s, the Turkish state wanted to convert the regular prisons to high security system. The regular prisons were containing dormitories with 50 or more prisoners. In 1991, Turkish parliament enacted the Anti-Terror-Law, which requires special penal institutions with system of cells for one or three people and convicted prisoners will not permitted to communicate with other inmates. This shift didn’t happen until 1996. A high security prison opened in the city of Eskişehir during this year but failed to start operating when 12 revolutionary prisoners died in death fast to oppose what they call “coffin cells”.
That didn’t stop the state and supporting imperialists to seek further advancements for their ultimate goal to subordinate the revolutionary will and subjugate the struggle of the people. After all, high security prisons were invented in “democratic west” to especially break the spirit of the imprisoned person with solitary confinement. EU wanted to advance this democracy with exporting the architecture of high security prisons and funding them in Turkey. As a result of this, new high security prisons were built and the new government of Democratic Left Party wanted to transfer all the political prisoners there. The Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit and Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Türk were even talking about “freeing the terrorists from their own terror”!
Against this preparation of a new attack, 816 prisoners started hunger strike from 26th of October to 19th of November 2000. One of their demands was to stop their transfer plans to high security prisons. This resistance – rightfully called Great Resistance – continued after the military operation until 2007, during which in total 122 revolutionaries died on death fast. The resistance ended with the acceptance of the Decree 45/1, which included multiple provisions. The allowance of 10 prisoners to spend 10 hours together per week was one of them.
In the operation of December 19, 2000, state forces stormed 20 prisons simultaneously. In the course of the operation, 8 gendarmerie battalions and 37 gendarmerie squadrons were used, involving in total 8.335 military personnel. Additional forces from riot police, gendarmerie and police special forces were also on ground. Even military helicopters were employed in some prisons. More than 20.000 anti-riot type bombs were used and some of them had napalm-like substances which were burning the skin. Until now, no one knows what those substances actually were.
During the operation, Birsen Kars was in Bayrampaşa prison of İstanbul. Her 6 comrades died, burned alive by the military forces. Birsen’s skin was severely burned and furthermore she had additional injuries. Her image, leaving the ambulance with burned face and hair, became an emblematic figure of an epoch. Her cry “They burned 6 women alive!” destroyed the absurd and hypocritical narrative of the state.
Injuries caused by this incidence and the previous tortures received inside the prison severely affected her health over the years. Finally, it is believed that this strongly contributed to the formation of cancer leading to her premature death. Imperialism and fascism killed her by slowly making her sick. Her death was not as direct and abrupt as the one of her comrades, but it had the same source. However, despite all the efforts, their perpetrators couldn’t achieve their initial intention to subordinate and subjugate the revolutionary will of the people.
This interview first published in December 2002.
Interview:
“I have the 6 women who burned alive in my mind…”
We think that everybody who is not ignorant about the current affairs in Turkey, heard about her. She is the first person to announce the massacre of the 19th of December with her cry “They burned 6 women alive!” from the doorstep of an ambulance. Birsen Kars is now outside of the prison. The second anniversary of the massacre is already here and we talked to her about the massacre, her unforgettable cry and the image in front of the ambulance.
Maybe one word, one sentence can announce the atrocity of what happened to the people…
EvA: Your picture on the doorstep of the ambulance became the symbol of the 19th of December and those who were burned alive. Can you describe that time? What was your situation, what did you think when the door of the ambulance opened?
BIRSEN KARS(BK): They took us out of the dormitories in small groups and then placed us in an empty space with a cover on top. Already, there were some disputes over the issue of transferring us to hospital, and finally they decided to take me to Bayrampaşa hospital. At first, I was alone in the ambulance but later they brought a friend of us as probably they had run out of ambulances. They asked me if I could stand up, as there was no space for two patients. The other prisoner was in a serious condition, bleeding too much as a result of the injuries on her arm. I didn’t know where we were being taken to as there was only one thing in my mind. I was thinking about Gülseren(1), Özlem(2) and the other women who had just been burned alive. At that point, all my focus was on this horrendous event. As the ambulance was moving away from Bayrampaşa prison, we were moving away from our burned friends. But not only from them, also we were leaving our injured and martyred male friends. All my thoughts were full of them, as we were approaching the hospital. I was watching outside of the ambulance as I was thinking about the burned women, our memories and all the things we had shared over the course of the years…
When the ambulance stopped in front of the hospital and the doors opened, I didn’t think beforehand what I should say, or if I should say anything. But when I saw the cameras and the journalists, I thought that I should say something to decry such a massacre of people. In just a matter of seconds I thought about my memories with my friends; they remained inside, burned alive and I knew their names. I first thought about telling their names but then I decided not to, as I had a hope that some of them had survived and their mothers would have been in agony hearing such news. I thought to start the sentence with “Us”, but this was not explanatory about our 6 comrades, thus I shout “They burned 6 women alive!”. All these thoughts were in the fraction of a second. Also, I was sure that this massacre would not appear in headlines, and media would even try to legitimize it. It was a natural reaction.
I wanted people to know about this massacre. It was a painful event, but it was showing the reality of our country. 6 women, without any possibility to defend themselves, were under gun fire for one hour and burned with unknown chemical gases. This procedure resembles us a modernized version of the gas chambers and crematoria ovens of Hitler. The state did such horrendous acts, and this must be known. We used our right to resist against isolation conditions. I acted with the confidence that the people have something to do in the face of such an atrocity. These were my feelings at that point.
EvA: It is now 2 years after these events. When you close your eyes, what memories and conversations come to your mind?
BK: What comes to my mind is the moment I understood that we are burning and I shout at Gülseren. I remember how she looked at me. Many memories come to my mind: the moment which the soldiers announced that our friends would remain inside, Seyhan(3)’s jokes, her and Özlem’s joyful attitude, me hugging them…
At the moment of the attack, the day was dawning and we started the day singing all together the march “Gündoğdu”. We were facing Special Forces units with guns and bomb launchers, continuously attacking us. We were in front of a small dormitory, resisting and chanting slogans. This scene never ceases to exist in my mind. What was the point of the massacre? They were totally militarized with every inch. We were 27 women without any guns, defenseless, waken up wildly from our bed, and yet we were challenging them with our marches. At that point, I felt really strong.
This scene was a proof of the strength of our ideas. Why should they even bother to wake us up from our sleep with bombs? We could feel their weakness in the face of our ideas: an independent motherland, a free life. I feel this weakness very strongly. The situation was unfair and illegitimate. Dying was not hard, at that point. It is a great honor to defend these ideas, as they are right, legitimate and these ideas are for and from the people. I am feeling this honor.
Resistance lasted for many hours. Under the bomb rain, we thought about Mecit(4), who had martyred in Ümraniye previously. In his last moments, he smoked his last cigarette. Each one of us was checking their pockets to find their last cigarette. We could only find one, we leaned back to the bunk bed, and started smoking it all together, also with Gülser(5) and Özlem… I can never forget that moment.
We were very close to the soldiers, standing just outside of the dormitory embrasure. They were cursing to us. When they started cursing to our mothers, Şefinur(6) blazed with anger towards them. She was very sensitive not just about her mother but about all mothers. She used to embrace our mothers like hers…
Just before the event of the burning, one of our friends arm was bleeding and she was losing a lot blood. But there was nothing that we could do under the fire, even though her situation was worsening moment by moment. With a sudden movement, Gülser stood up against them and shouted at the soldiers “If it is your wish, then just kill us!”.
When they took us down to the ward, my friends were pouring water over my head and I started gaining my consciousness again. Hamide(7) was next to me, crying and chanting the name of Gülseren. Gülseren was the wife of her brother. Her pain was not describable, she was running inside the ward with panic. We were now in the open area of the prison and the dormitory was burning to ashes. When we were inside, there was no fire yet. The fire was only visible from the windows, where the soldiers were gassing inside. We were devastated while watching the flames, since we knew that our 6 friends were inside. We shared everything and spent several years inside the prison together. And most importantly, we were comrades on our journey as revolutionaries.
EvA: You mentioned about the gassing. Were they gassing inside other than gas bombs?
BK: This was a different gas. It was poured from a thing that was inside an iron cage hooked from the ceiling. There was no sort of bomb that they were throwing inside the dormitory. They were in total control of the situation and when they started gassing, a gray smoke was visible. In a moment, the temperature inside the dormitory increased significantly, but there were no flames. It was burning the surface it touched and the people who were in open areas, where there was more air circulation, were affected more. The burning developed very fast and there were no flames, when my body started burning. Flames started to develop when we got out of dormitory to open area. So, in summary these were no gas bombs, but an additional gas was used, which burns the skin instantly.
We think that the dormitory was burned in order to cover the fact that we were gassed with an corrosive substance. It would be harder to cover the truth if there was no fire.
Flames were covering our friends and our memories were fading. They will not be here anymore and we will not be able to cry and laugh together. On the other side, they were dousing us with pressurized water from water cannons, despite the fact that the fire was continuing inside the dormitory and we were not the ones who were burning. We were shouting at them “aim towards the dormitory!”. If they had extinguished the fire, might be the case that some of them would have survived… As the fire cooled down, our hopes for their survival vanished. We used to dance halay(8) in the open area of the dormitory with fire, but now these fire was the bodies of our 6 friends.
In the meantime, as we were standing in an open space, soldiers were shooting towards our wounds. Our friends took us to a safer place. The sense of solidarity at that time, the strong feeling that everybody is trying to do something despite their suffering was a great moment. Meanwhile, when we were moving from one dormitory to another, a stone hit my head and it started bleeding. I am totally speechless with their desperation. They were able to throw stones to ease their hatred, despite they were perpetuating a massacre with advanced guns and excessive violence. This was a great symbol for the mental condition of the State…
Of course, leaving the dormitory was a very painful experience at that moment, because as we were leaving, Şefinur and all the others were staying inside. They couldn’t move us out easily and took us only one by one with force.
EvA: There is a court process going on for the massacre. Have you ever been called for a process? And what was your position in the indictment? Did they accuse you as a “suspect”?
BK: They filed a suit to all of the disobedient prisoners inside Bayrampaşa prison as a suspect. We filed a criminal complaint against the operation. Judiciary authorities started the court process too late and the real suspects are not standing on a trial but instead regular prison guardians, who have no connection to the operation, are put on the trial. State admitted that a special force unit was put in use for this operation, yet victims like us and people who have no connection to the operation are on trial. We are charged with prison revolt, yet if one inspects the indictment carefully, it is obvious that there are contradictions to this claim. The operation planned in the 6th of December according to indictment. Yet, we are charged with a revolt. We were not revolting, on contrary we were in our beds, sleeping. They woke us up with bombs, guns and burned us. To cover such an act of atrocity, the easiest method would be to make the victims as suspects.
EvA: How was your daily life affected after the massacre?
BK: After the massacre, I was in Cerrahpaşa hospital for 2 months and later I stayed in Bayrampaşa hospital for 3 months. It took me 5 months to return back and unite with my surviving friends. We were 4 people in Cerrahpaşa hospital. Most of the times, I was in the same room with another friend. We were spending every hour of the day thinking about them. They were in our dreams and a common topic in our talks.
When I return back to meet with my friends, I had this feeling that there are more people to hug. Gülseren, Gülser, Özlem, Seyhan, Nilüfer(9)… Yet, they were not here anymore. I was living with this strong emotion, expecting that they will appear just in front of the corner. Şefinur had a great and strong laughter, my ears were open to hear this laugh again. Özlem loved to walk in the open area of the dormitory when it was raining. I was gazing outside, when it was raining as I will see her again. For the last two years, there was not even a moment that they left us. We always felt their presence and we still feel it. Everything can remind them to us, during any hour of the day…
EvA: Is there any physical wounds remained from the massacre, and what about your mental well-being?
BK: 32% of my body burned. Some parts of my hands, arms, back and hair partially burned. My face burned down totally. Even though I still have lots of surgeries in front of me, scars will never fade away totally. If you ask about my mental well-being, what left is the strong will to end this struggle with victory. They sacrificed themselves to fight against the isolation, and I am willing to do my part to end it. Another point is to explain what happened to everyone. They were burned alive and everybody in this country should hear this. I want everyone to remember the pictures of them and make clear that the prices of freedom, independence and justice are not forgotten.
Of course, it is very painful to remember these moments and witnessed them dying. I will have these moment stuck in my head all over my life. Yet, the other side of the coin is to materialize their will and dreams.
They didn’t allow us to send any letter outside and made it clear that they will not deliver any letter, which would explain the massacre to journalists. I couldn’t be able to answer the ridiculous claims all over the media for the last two years. This is my responsibility towards the 6 women. I have the feeling that I am finally be able to fulfill this responsibility over the course of this interview. Nobody should forget that day, they were burned alive because their motto was “Our people; we love you and we die for you”…
Funeral of Birsen Kars in Gazi district of Istanbul.
Footnotes:
(1) Gülseren Yazgülü Güder Öztürk: She was born on 15th of January 1972 in Dersim, Turkey. When she burned alive, it was the 55th day of her hunger as a part of the 1st group of death fast fighters. Her elder brother murdered by the state forces on 1983 in Elazığ prison. She joined the organized struggle in 1988. She worked as a news correspondent in Adana Bureau for the socialist magazine Mücadele (Struggle) on 1990. She was imprisoned in 1991 and after her release, she continued her work in the city of Antep. Her husband and comrade Ahmet Öztürk was killed by police forces in 1994. While, she was involved in the democratic struggle in Istanbul, she was imprisoned again in 1996.
(2) Özlem Ercan: She was born on 1977 in Tunceli, Turkey. She met with revolutionaries during her university studies in Istanbul. She was organized in the democratic struggle of the youth on the lines of TÖDEF (Federation of Student Associations Turkey). She witnessed the death fast struggle against high security prisons during 1996. During the 19th of December massacre, she was killed with flamethrowers while she was trying protect a death fast fighter.
(3) Seyhan Doğan: She was born on 1973 in Havza, Samsun, Turkey. During the times when her family moved to Istanbul while she was still a young student, she understood the concept of revolution and revolutionary and organized in 1991. She was involved in democratic struggle of the youth in the lines of Dev-Genç (Revolutionary Youth). She worked in other areas until her imprisonment in 1995. While as an inmate, she experienced prison massacres in Buca, Ümraniye and Ulucanlar(*). She experienced the 1996 death fast resistance and was a volunteer for the death fast struggle of 2000. She was one of the women who burned alive in the massacre of 19th of December.
(4) Abdülmecit Seçkin: He was born on 1972 in İnegöl, Bursa, Turkey to a Georgian descendant family. His family was originally came to Bursa from Şavşat, Artvin, Turkey. His initial meeting with revolutionary movement was on 1991. He was organized in the neighborhood area of İnegöl. He became a militia and start taking responsibilities in illegal struggle. He hold several responsibilities in the poor neighborhoods of Bursa, and when he was about to work in the neighborhood committees of the area he was imprisoned in 1992. He always tried to push forward his revolutionary character with determination, patience, labor and modesty despite his several shortcomings and mistakes during the struggle. He overcame this obstacles and died as a martyr during the prison massacre of Ümraniye in 4th of January 1996(*).
(5) Gülser Tuzcu: She was born on 1966 in Kastamonu, Turkey. She was raised in a household with revolutionaries. She was adoring revolutionaries all over her life, until to the point that she become an organized revolutionary on 1992. She had different responsibilities in neighborhood areas until her imprisonment in 1995. She was very keen to be a death fast fighter in 1996 resistance. With the same courage and determination, she continued to be in every struggle after that point. She died in the massacre of 19th of December.
(6) Şefinur Tezgel: She was born on 1972 in Kürecik, Malatya, Turkey. She grow up alongside with revolutionaries and joined to revolutionary struggle during 1992. She was imprisoned in the same year for 18 months. She worked in neighborhoods and several other areas until she imprisoned again on 1996. She died in the massacre of 19th of December when she was trying to protect her comrades against the murderers.
(7) Hamide Öztürk: Similar to her sister-in-law Gülseren, she worked as a news correspondent in for another socialist magazine Kurtuluş(Liberation). She died in the 463rd day of her hunger as a part of the 5th group of death fast fighters in 10th of September 2001.
(8) Halay: Halay is a folk dance from Turkey, which is also exists in other regions of Middle East and Caucasians. It is very popular among Turkish left as it is a collective dance by its nature.
(9) Nilüfer Alcan: She was born on 1964 in Göynük, Bolu, Turkey. She knew revolutionaries from the times of the military coup of 12th of September 1980, when her older brother got arrested. After she graduated from Biology Department from Istanbul University, she started her struggle as an organized revolutionary in 1987. She experienced many arrests and finally ended in long term imprisonment on 1995. She is immortalized as one of the martyrs of 19th of December.
(*)Prison Massacres of Buca, Ümraniye and Ulucanlar: From the year 1996 to 1999, many prison massacres happened in Turkey as a result of the direct attack of the State forces to subjugate the resistance of the revolutionary prisoners. On 4th of January 1996, 4 prisoners martyred while defending their friends and comrades in Ümraniye Prison of Istanbul. On 21st of September 1996, 3 prisoners died as a result of the State attack in Buca Prison of Izmir. After 4 hours of this operation, all of the 43 prisoners were injured in a single dormitory where operation was focused. On 26th of September 1999, 10 prisoners massacred by State forces in Ulucanlar Prison of Ankara.
“History written with blood can not be erased” walls of Ulucanlar Prison after the massacre.