Original language: German
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen!
Dear guests,
Dear Nebahat Akkoç!
Equality, freedom of expression, education.
The Kurdish girl who grew up in 1955 as the third of nine siblings in Karliova, a small town in eastern Turkey, knew nothing of these things at the time.
She spent a sheltered childhood surrounded by her family, went to school, and eventually became a teacher. She married and had two children.
Over the years, the little girl from the countryside grew into a curious young woman who began to get involved in politics. In the left-leaning Teachers’ Association, Nebahat Akkoç found something of a political home where she could engage in open discourse among like-minded people. That was BEFORE the military coup in 1980. Until then, her world was still in order.
However, this idyllic world was violently upended by the coup. Countless organizations were banned, and there was a wave of arrests targeting dissidents—a wave that also affected her husband. A first turning point. That was when Nebahat Akkoç’s struggle against visible and invisible enemies in her life—a struggle that continues to this day—began. She was ready to fight—for her husband’s freedom, but also for everyone else’s.
In her view, the key to freedom was education and awareness. During her prison visits, for example, she helped other women who could neither read nor write. Among them were many Kurdish women who did not even speak Turkish. In her many conversations with them, it became increasingly clear to her that these women suffered not only from political violence but also from domestic violence. The logical next step: she became involved as district chair of the Union for Education and Science.
However, although she was unable to engage in educational activities until 1993 due to the ongoing conflicts, not everyone viewed this favorably. Time and again, teachers fell victim to murder and manslaughter—yet the perpetrators remained unidentified. In her press statements, Nebahat Akkoc condemned these acts in the strongest terms. This ultimately led to investigations against her not only within the teachers’ union but even by the police.
The year 1993 then marked another turning point in her life. Her husband was shot and killed on his way to school. Akkoç gave up her teaching career to devote herself entirely to human rights and became active in several organizations and political parties. In 1994, she was detained for 12 days and tortured. From that point on, she was determined to devote all her energy exclusively to women’s rights. Between 1994 and 1997, she was arrested a total of 15 times and repeatedly subjected to severe abuse.
She filed a lawsuit with the European Court of Human Rights challenging the restriction of her freedom of expression, her detentions, and the torture she endured, as well as seeking an investigation into her husband’s murder. The lawsuit, which became known internationally as the “Akkoç Case,” was the first of its kind ever filed from Turkey—and it was successful.
In 1996, she founded KAMER—a women’s rights organization that has been registered as a foundation since 2005—essentially from her living room. KAMER has branches in 23 cities across southeastern and eastern Anatolia to defend women’s human rights, which are frequently violated in those areas. Since 2005, the program “Every Woman Needs a Chance” has also been in place, helping to offer women in villages, small towns, and cities an opportunity to free themselves from domestic violence, break away from their traditional roles, and transform them.
How does one honor such a person who has made a life’s work of fighting for something we take for granted in this country? Stepping out of a supposedly secure life to fight against violence against women requires courage, strength, and perseverance. Especially in a country where the state can all too quickly turn you into an enemy. In a culture with a deeply entrenched tradition of repeatedly rubbing salt into the wound—of constantly criticizing it—this unfortunately and inevitably means making many enemies. A woman like Nebahat Akkoç then suddenly becomes a threat to many men—and ultimately to an entire state. It’s hard to imagine, but as soon as you speak up, you’re branded a traitor and threatened. On her journey to this point, Nebahat Akkoç has not only had to endure threats, but has also experienced violence and torture firsthand.
This passion for dedicating herself to others and the perseverance to continue fighting for women and human rights after more than 35 years are anything but a given. This makes days like today—when you and your work are recognized and honored—all the more significant. We must not leave women like you, dear Nebahat Akkoç, alone in your fight against violence against women.
Nebahat Akkoç, I admire you for never having lost your courage over all these years, but instead for getting back up time and again to keep fighting—and for continuing to fight to this day. Even in your countless times of distress, you have always selflessly stood up for others. Many women lack not only the courage needed to free themselves from violence at the hands of their own families or husbands, but also the necessary knowledge—and, not least, the unwavering will that you possess. Despite all adversities, despite all opponents who have repeatedly tried to bring you down or even destroy you, you have continued on your path—and you are still on it. This path and this long struggle—it has been more than worth it. On behalf of all women, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and bow in admiration of your determination and courage to make this, our world, a little more just.
