28-year-old female prisoner Garibe Gezer was found dead in her solitary confinement cell in Kandıra High Security women’s prison on 9th of December. After being jailed on terrorism charges, she was reportedly physically and sexually abused by guards for months prior to her death.
Gezer’s deceased body was taken to the Kocaeli Forensic Medicine Institution and an autopsy was carried out without informing her lawyers. Her deceased body was then transferred to her hometown of Mardin (Mêrdîn), Dargeçit, in southeastern Turkey. The funeral vehicle requested from the municipality was not given by the government appointed authorities and the authorities even reportedly tried to prevent the participation of her loved ones at her funeral.
The personal diary of Garibe Gezer has been revealed by Jin News. She wrote to her diary while she was in prison and many of her writings were for her brother Bilal Gezer, who was murdered on October 7, 2014 during the Kobanê protests. The diary reflects the feelings of Garibe Gezer for her lost brother and her longing for her hometown.
”I rebelled against the order. When someone tried to restrict me, I did the opposite… street rebellions are big but mountain’s are even bigger.”
”Dear Brother,
Your smile was so beautiful. The time stops when you smile. I live with your smile. (31.07.2017 Şakran Prison)
All the women in prison are so beautiful. I don’t understand why people want to kill beautiful things… (2017)
The persecution against Kurdish people should be stopped. Let there be no hurting souls and no more suffering pain like the Kurdish people have suffered. All races on earth should be free. Let there be love, respect and peace. (24.03.2017 Şakran Prison)
I can’t wait to give you the good news of our victory. 2018 will be our year of victory. “The war is over, we won” (01.01.2018)
Get to know me! Longing for the mountains, longing for nature, longing for the love of Kurdistan. I am the sister of martyr Bilal.
I told you I don’t feel the walls. This is not like other feelings. It was as if the walls are gone or opened like a door. I see everything in the universe. I feel the miracles in the world. I didn’t feel like this before. Now I both see and feel… (05.12.2019-Tarsus Prison)
I was afraid of the place where I was born and raised, even the streets I live in. However, I rebelled against the order. When someone tried to restrict me, I did the opposite… The street rebellions are big. The mountain’s are bigger. Being a Kurd, being a woman in this country… (08.12.2019-Tarsus Prison)
I have been so angry lately. I get very angry at the news on the media and the injustices I read. The Middle East has turned into a giant war zone. The problem neither dissolves nor ends. The war in Rojava has been going on for nine years. When we think of Turkey, Selahattin Demirtaş and the other deputies are in prison. The media do not talk about the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP). They kill us easily in prison and outside. Even if we are killed, they still blame us… (04.01.2020-Tarsus Prison)
God said to all the prophets “read”. But the goddess said to us women ‘write’. And yet, the history of the goddess is lost… Why? (Tarsus Prison)
Certain types of death are terrifying for us as women who are in struggle. The issue is not death but the way in which masculine mentality chooses the type of death. This is our fear. But we rebel against fear and continue resisting. The reason of our rebellion is against being a slave to toxic masculinity for thousands of years. The construction of socialism will be led by women. (2020-Tarsus Prison)”
