We are trying to find the bright face of justice in the darkness of oppression. And we know that every search for justice is a struggle to find and bring to light the fragments of truth lost in the darkness. We also know that the pursuit of justice, especially in countries where injustice peaks, is extremely difficult and can encounter unpredictable obstacles.
Moreover, we are aware that each achievement in this context illuminates a part of the bigger picture and enables progress towards the complete revelation of truth through the manifestation of justice.
In the struggle for justice, sometimes even our own inner voice can be an obstacle. Thinking ‘What if something happens to me, if I am arrested, if I am detained, why am I doing this while others are not, am I the only smart one in the world,’ we may start to retreat.
Our spouse, friends, family, and relatives can inadvertently hinder us while trying to help, saying things like “Why are you fighting for justice, let others do it; if it works out, then you can apply, what’s your hurry; judges and prosecutors don’t consider ECHR decisions, don’t you see, the Supreme Court said they won’t comply with the Constitutional Court’s decision, how would they comply with the ECHR…”
Sometimes our lack of religious knowledge or incorrect religious interpretations can also hinder our quest for justice. Ignoring the fact of adhering to causes while making statements like “These matters won’t be fixed with courts, lawsuits, or petitions, Allah will fix them” can make an already difficult journey even more challenging.
In environments where mistrust, disbelief, physical and spiritual exhaustion peak, the incomprehensible explanations of so-called experts, and their approaches like “You don’t see the danger, but I do,” can further decrease the already waning motivation for seeking justice.
In summary, there’s no doubt about the difficulty of the struggle for justice. However, there is another reality that should not be forgotten at this stage: while there are already plenty of obstacles on this tough path, breaking hope is equivalent to being complicit in oppression. This reality is undoubtedly a heavy responsibility that none of us would want to bear.
We try to stop the grievances experienced as victims of crimes against humanity and fight to prevent them from happening again. Our only argument for this fight is to use legal avenues. In this context, the decision given by the Grand Chamber of the ECHR is an important gain not for despair but for increasing the determination to fight. It is a significant proof for conveying the innocence, the unlawfulness, and the baselessness of the accusations made. Almost all experts acknowledge this reality. Therefore, evaluations made beyond this do not reflect the truth but only personal opinions and emotions.
The problem is not just today’s or ours alone; it’s a general issue. The increase in disinformation-based information circulated by social media users has led to the creation of a communication environment where factual occurrences are replaced by emotion-based news and information. That is, personal opinions and emotions have taken the place of objective reality. For example, approaches completely contrary to scientific truths, like on the issue of climate change, are defended with the thesis that alternative thoughts or realities can exist on every issue.
This situation has led to even topics with general consensus among experts in scientific communities becoming controversial due to political, economic, and personal interests. According to a political philosopher expert, television channels’ approach of allocating equal airtime to scientific facts and completely opposing views under the guise of “balanced reporting” has paved the way for weakening the perception of reality in society.
As can be understood from this analysis, even though there is a clear consensus among experts, the approach of “listen to the opposing view, see what they say” serves no purpose other than making scientifically factual topics debatable.
Therefore, it can be said that a topic can be discussed and different opinions can be expressed, but such evaluations should not prevent the truth from being seen and should not allow facts to be debatable…
It must be remembered that the struggle for justice is not only about seeking the rights of the oppressed, but also about giving them morale, increasing hope, and refreshing their hearts. In this context, comments and explanations that break hope are like ships lost in stormy seas; they can neither reach a harbor nor deliver their passengers to shore…”
