The memory of this country has been shaped not only by coups but also by silence.
What was common in the line from 1960 to September 12, from February 28 to today was this:
The state has taken it upon itself to discipline rather than protect its citizens.
Opinions were labeled, identities were polished, the past was declared “objectionable”.
We grew up in a climate where uniform thinking, uniform speaking and uniform silence were acceptable.
In schools, we were taught to memorize, not to ask questions.
It was spoken in whispers in the houses, it was considered courageous to think aloud on the street.
It was acceptable to polish history, not to confront it.
That's why I want to tell the story of Sabiha Gökçen,
That is why it is still uncomfortable to talk about what Hrant Dink wrote.
Because a junta does not only come with tanks;
Once it's ingrained in the mind, it stays for generations.
But the world has changed.
Information now escapes borders, leaks through bans and spreads faster than fear.
Young people should know this:
Telling the truth is not a crime,
asking questions is not treason,
confronting history is not hostility.
The real fear of the junta is not the tank,
comes from people who talk, think and remember.