The Hero

I started off my blog series by telling a bit about me, and what revolves around me right now, or what I revolve around. That is integration. But how did I end up in this situation? I did not yet tell. It is a hard story to tell because it is long. Because it has a lot of political aspects in it. Because some of it I even am not able to understand. But I can point out some cornerstones. Some events in the past that I knew it was a big deal. I knew, even though I was maybe around 16, that it might lead to a “bigger thing” than what is on the surface.

So, I will tell a story. Not even a story. I will tell you about a man, I will tell you what I remember. I will only tell what I feel because it is impossible for me to know the whole story. After all, it is his story.

Even before giving you his name, let me tell you why I picked him. I picked him because he is a man. It is always easier to tell stories about women. Women in need, women who are beautiful, women who are mothers, women who suffered. A suffering woman would make a nice story. But no. This man, although he is a father, is not weak. He was the general director of a media group, Samanyolu, that consisted of (I needed to look it up) 14 television channels, 9 radio channels, 2 weekly newspapers, and 1 website. How does it sound? Already lost interest? A man in a position of power, you might say. Indeed he was. Those days were glorious. Those days we had so little idea of what was going to happen. We did not know that we could lose our jobs, we could have gotten arrested, the lawyers that defended us could get arrested, and we would have to use illegal means to leave the country we love, and never come back. No, those were glorious days.

Hidayet Karaca was one of the first ones that was persecuted. It was before the failed coup attempt in 2016, it was before they closed down our schools, it was way before. Now I am looking at it, it wasn’t that far ago. It was December 2014 when he was arrested. There was no indictment to begin with. He was accused of because of a script in one of the TV shows with the argument he influenced the script. It was a drama show. He was a big name in the Hizmet movement, and they knew it. Nobody was terrified at the time. Nobody thought Hidayet Karaca could have been held captive despite the law. Back in the day, we trusted the law. He was a hero. All 14 channels and all the radio programs were mentioning his name. There was a counter on the screen that told everyone how many days it had been since the arrest. We were almost excited. We were right. They could not hold a journalist for a script that he didn’t even write. He was going to be free, and he was indeed freed, he was a hero!

After 4 months of imprisonment, the court decided that there was not enough evidence to hold him. He was released. He was a hero, all our media showed him. It was a big day, a lot of joy. There was indeed justice! The same day he was arrested before he could make it home. The judge, Mustafa Başer, who signed the decision was expelled and then arrested. His wife, Rabia Başer, also a judge, was also expelled and sent to prison.

I remember my father saying that we shouldn’t celebrate it so visible. We shouldn’t have made a hero out of him. Because now, they couldn’t tolerate setting him free, let him be the hero. It didn’t matter what the court said, what the law was, whether he was a journalist, or whether he was indeed innocent. It didn't matter. In reality, you should be careful, you should be smart. You shouldn't make anyone a hero so that they can attack. Back then we did not know. But these were the first signs of the injustices that we will have to endure.

Hidayet Karaca had a soft voice. He was humble. I like him. This year on June 21, 2023, the ECtHR decided after 8 years, his re-arrest in 2015 was unlawful. He was convicted 33 years of prison time in 2018. The ECtHR is yet far from looking at his case where he was found guilty with merits. To this day Hidayet Karaca, once a man in a position of power is in solitary. Since then hundreds of thousands have been arrested, sometimes freed, and crossed the borders. A lot has changed. The media organization, Samanyolu, does not exist now. It was closed down after the 2016 failed coup attempt. He is still behind bars, alone. I am not sure how he is doing right now. I hope he is okay. I hope he is sane. I hope he is hopeful. He did not do anything wrong, but society punished him because he held a position in an institution that was affiliated with the Hizmet movement. For the government in Turkey, he is a terrorist, for the opposition he is not a journalist. For many in our community maybe his story got old or there are many people who are in worse condition. I am not sure if I should call him a hero. I don’t think he ever cared.