He said that from the period of authoritarian rule till the events of August 5 and July Movement, thousands of people had to suffer and were subjected to torture.
The Prime Minister said, “Many of you are still living with the pain caused by those abuses. I too am suffering physical and emotional pain. That is why I am, at least to some extent, able to understand and feel your pain – be it physical or mental.”
He said that according to the United Nations, 65 children were killed during the movement. He said, “What crime had they (the children) committed? They had not committed any crime. Yet, in the struggle to liberate the country from authoritarian rule, these children gave their lives.”
Recalling those turbulent days, the Prime Minister said that according to the United Nations, about 1,400 people were martyred in the movement.
He said, “During those turbulent days, despite countless obstacles, I tried to gather information in every possible way through my party workers. Many different figures emerged. However, according to my own estimates, about 2,000 people were killed during the July Movement alone, and about 30,000 suffered injuries or faced other forms of intimidation.”