A former teacher dismissed by a government decree will end up in jail just because of having a deposit account in a government audited bank and membership in a officially founded association.
Prison sentence of Muhammed Koşar, father of three children, has been approved by a first degree appeal court.
BOLD – Muhammed Koşar, 46, who has been able to walk with the aid of crutches since he was 2 years old, and had been a primary school teacher until 2016.
Koşar was dismissed by a government decree on 1 September 2016 and then a legal proceeding has been initiated.
JUDICIAL UNCONVENTIONALITY IN TURKISH LEGAL HISTORY
Legal charges against Koşar are not the ones that have been in legal history of Turkey but they have been extensively filed against members of Hizmet movement.
Mainly, two charges filed against Koşar. The first charge is having a deposit account in a government audited bank. The second one is membership in a officially founded association.
Kosar was sentenced to 1 year and 13 months of imprison term even without hearing his accounts and defense on these matters.
Koşar’s jail term is approved by a first degree court of appeals last month. He is about to leave his wife and three children, and end up in jail.
BANK ASYA AND THE HİZMET MOVEMENT
Bank Asya was established in October 24, 1996 with its head office in Istanbul, as the sixth private finance house of Turkey.
At the end of 2009, Bank Asya’s total assets reached TRY14 billion. Bank Asya rose by 47 places in the “Top 1000 World Bank Ranking” of “The Banker” Magazine in 2010, rising to 473 from 520. At the same time, Bank Asya ranked 403rd on “The Banker’s Top 500 Banking Brands”. Bank Asya has also become the largest participation bank in Turkey. Bank Asya become the largest participation bank in Turkey.
Bank Asya carried out its activities with 182 branches, 2 national and 1300 foreign correspondent banks besides the head office units as of May 2011.
Bank Asya is seen closely associated with Hizmet movement in Turkish media.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan government has attacked the Hizmet movement in 2013 to cover up the biggest corruption scandal in modern Turkish history.
Erdoğan regime especially targeted Bank Asya, seen as closely connected with the Hizmet movement after the corruption scandal .
In 2015, the Government Saving Deposits Insurance Fund of Turkey (TMSF) with the directives of Erdoğan regime acquired control of Bank Asya.
On 22 July 2016, the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK) cancelled Bank Asya’s banking permissions as part of the 2016 purges.
After the failed coup attempt on 15 July 2016, Turkish prosecutors filed charges against thousands of people just because of having a deposit account in Bank Asya and Turkish courts handed prison terms ranging from 1 year to 6 year to Bank Asya customers.
THE ONGOING WITCH HUNT IN TURKEY
Erdoğan government accuses the Hizmet movement with carrying out failed coup attempt which Hizmet movement always denied the accusation.
Since the failed coup attempts in 2016, the Erdogan government put at least 77 thousand people in jail and detentions and arrests still continue ceaselessly.
Recently, Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu stated that 550,000 people are subject to investigations due to their connection with the Hizmet Movement in Turkey.
Among these 190,000 people were detained or arrested.
Currently, about 37,000 people are in Turkey’s prisons because of their connection with the movement.
773 babies and children up to 6 years old age stay in prisons with their mothers who are mostly in pretrial detention.
HAVING A DEPOSIT ACCOUNT IN A GOVERNMENT AUDITED BANK SEEN AS SUPPORT FOR TERRORISM
Koşar, father of three children, is going to be imprisoned within a week or two because the Court of Appeal approved ruling of the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court on 15 May 2019.
Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court, has seen having a deposit account as a sponsor of terrorism. The court claimed that Kosar deposited money to Bank Asya with instruction from the Hizmet movement.
Muhammed Koşar, who has been able to walk with the aid of crutches since he was 2 years old, stated that the reason to choose Bank Asya was just because of its branch’s proximity to his home.
He also added that income from interest is forbidden in his belief, Islam and Bank Asya was an interest-free bank.
Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court, rejected Koşar’s accounts and seen having a deposit account and deposit card in a bank as a sponsor of terrorism.
Turkish representative, Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, member of Parliamentary Human Rights Investigation Committee, harshly criticized the court ruling.
Zalim ve gaddarsınız..!
Muhammed Koşar, engelli, KHK lı yetmemiş bir de Bank Asya’daki hesabindan dolayı 25 ay hapis cezası, istinaf onadı..!
‘Sayın vekilim. Ben ne yapacağımı da bilemiyorum 3 çocuğum var, okula gidiyorlar perişan olacaklar’ pic.twitter.com/sqt5mKISN8
— Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu (@gergerliogluof) May 18, 2019
ENGELLİYİM.Koltuk değnekleri ile yürüyorum.KHKlı 19 yıllık öğretmenim.Rutin olarak yaptığım bankacılık işlemlerinden dolayı 2 yıl 1 ay ceza aldım.Cezaevine gireceğim.3çocugum var. Sesimizin duyurulabilmesi için lütfen destek olun.#pazartesi pic.twitter.com/0zlT7xDqBh
— muhammet kosar (@KOSARMUHAMMET01) May 27, 2019
A 19-YEAR PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHER
Muhammed Koşar, who worked in Adana Seyhan Atatürk Primary School, is a 19-year teacher. He is married and has 3 children, Betül (18), Azra (14), Fatih Burak (8).
After the failed coup attempt on 15 July 2016, he was detained and taken to Diyarbakir.
After two days in custody, he was released by the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court pending trial.
On 10 July 2018 in Diyarbakir, the court sentenced him to 1 year 13 months of imprisonment even without hearing his accounts and defense on these matters.
The First Degree Court of Appeal approved ruling of the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court on 15 May 2019. He is going to be arrested and sent to jail in a couple of weeks.
Koşar says, “I think the notification will reach to me on weekdays. I have 3 children and my wife is a housewife. We earn our lives with the help of our friends and a small amount of rental income. We start to sell bakery products in o local market with my wife. If I am arrested, my wife will be alone. All of my children are students. One of them is preparing for the university exam, and the other is preparing for the high school exam. The youngest goes to second grade. We don’t know what to do.”
KOŞAR’S RIGHT TO QUALIFY FOR A PENSION REJECTED BY SOCIAL SECURITY INSTITUTION
Muhammed Koşar was also faced with a violation of rights on retirement;
“Despite my retirement age, my pension was rejected by Social Security Institution because I was fired (with a government decree). I applied to the court. Although the Administrative Court approved my pension, Social Security Institution appealed to the upper court. I don’t know how it ends. In other words, people with disabilities are suffering. Disabled people, according to the degree of disability, retire between 15-18 years. Because we are fired, Social Security Institution says that I will work for 25 years or wait until I am at least 60 years old to qualify for a pension.”