Turkish judge probed for supporting death fasting musician says she defends the right to life

Duvar English

Police fire tear gas on mourners, take musician İbrahim Gökçek's body away from funeral ceremony

Nothing is more natural than defending the right to life, a Turkish judge, who came under fire for supporting a death fasting musician's demands, said.

A probe was launched into Ayşe Sarısu Pehlivan after she voiced sadness over the death of Grup Yorum's Gökçek, who died on May 7 at a hospital two days after ending his death fast that lasted for 323 days.

He had been on a death fast with a number of demands, including the ban on their concerts to be lifted, the removal of the group's members' names from terror lists and the raids of İdil Culture Center, where the group carries out its works, to be stopped.

His demands were not met, since the government perceives Grup Yorum members as "terrorists."

Pehlivan said that Gökçek was an artist and that she defends the right to life for everyone.

Grup Yorum member İbrahim Gökçek dies two days after ending death fast

"I advocate the right to life for everyone. This is a constitutional right and must be defended by everyone," Pehlivan told Deutsche Welle's Turkish service on May 12, adding that a lynch campaign was launched into her on social media.

Saying that she has been subjected to insults ever since her tweets, Pehlivan noted that the investigation launched by the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK) came after pro-government media targeted her.

"Some people targeted me and the HSK launched the probe. Is this what law is?" she said.

Another investigation was launched into the judge by the İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

"The investigations stem from the order of hatred and the lynching regime in Turkey," Pehlivan said.

Far-right group attempts to attack Grup Yorum member Gökçek's grave to burn his body

The judge also said that she was traumatized by the fact that Gökçek launched a death fast to be able to give concerts.

"He was an artist. What's more natural and lawful than defending his right to life?" she said.

Saying that the social media is a reflection of the lynching regime in Turkey, Pehlivan noted that there is a certain group of people who embrace law only when they need to.

"Such an order of hatred was created that all the politicians are trying to close their ranks via this order. All the events that we see show that an order of hatred prevails in Turkey. This hatred brought about a situation that everyone blames and crushes the others who don't think like them. This discourse is opening irreparable wounds with heavy consequences," she said.

"We need to be a state of law," she added.