Dear friends,
Recently attacks towards me coming from racist and fascistic circles in the Northern part of Cyprus took a different dimension and started heading towards a social lynch.
Until today, I did not show any reaction towards these attacks. There was no need to take these political attacks seriously. Although I was shown as a target and threatened through these attacks I believed in the support of the democratic forces in our community and I was thinking that the most beautiful response to them which were forwarded not only towards me but also towards my friends, was our life style and our writing. The last three years these attacks took a new course and they turned into a very open and vulgar sexual harassment. I kept silent even then, as many women would do on such occasions. Knowing that talking about them and objecting to them could even increase the victimisation of my gender. But recently things turned into a serious and unacceptable level. Extracts from my novel, of which the first edition was published in 2002 by Iletisim publications, were selected out of context, distorted and were presented as my own biography and transformed into instruments of sexual harassment against me. These attacks are both trying to degrade me in the eyes of the society through humiliation and “assassinate” me psychologically. These newspapers are read out every morning on TV programs, some of which are via satellite. In our small society in the Northern part of Cyprus, whoever I meet is talking about them. The Newspapers are in the hands of my students at the University.
I finally decided to take action. First, I will start a legal struggle and ask for a good amount of money. I wish that this case be primarily viewed as a case for the defence of literature and so be transformed into a platform for discussion of freedom of expression and creation. I want to turn this trial process into a festival on literature and the freedom to create and so refrain from presenting it merely as a court case about sexual harassment in which I will be placed as the centre. I know that I can do this only with your support, all of you my friends, the writers, the feminist and human rights activists. I wish that with the speeches we will make during the process of the court hearingsd and with the conferences we will organize outside we shall be defending literature and our right to creatively imagine. I also I dream that with the compensation money we will win we can organize a literary festival. At this stage what I need urgently is your psychological support.
I know that I am part of this beautiful family and I am sure that you will honor me with your support.
I embrace you with love.
Neşe Yaşın

No access to love
(Our army is our greatest security)
I keep looking at the stars tonight
hoping you are too
Εν εκπληκτική!
(P.S. No more Tokas, we’ve had enough)
Τρίτη 23/10/2007 16:42Αν ποσπαστεί ο τραουδιστής,
η ζωή εποσπάστην,
γιατί η ζωή η ίδια εν ούλλη έναν τραούδιν…
si se calla el cantor
se quedan solos lo humildes
si se calla el cantor, calla la vida
Συμπαράσταση τζαι στο δικό μου μπλογκ
Τετάρτη 24/10/2007 01:56Εγώ δεν είμαι ποιητής
αλλά για χάρη σου μπορώ να γίνω!
Δίπλα σου και στο δικό μου μπλογκ
Τετάρτη 24/10/2007 22:49na ’sai kala pou to dhmosieuses! sumparastekomai, 8aumazw kai upoklinomai!!
Τετάρτη 24/10/2007 23:39Keep Fighting
Δικό σου τζαι το δικο μου Blog
http://xwrikos.blogspot.com
Πέμπτη 25/10/2007 00:30Εισηγούμαι να το μπάζουμε στα δικά μας μπλογκ διαδοχικά και με καθυστέρηση για να κυκλοφορήσει πιο πολύ χρόνο.
Πέμπτη 25/10/2007 02:57just a reader, but a supporter!
Πέμπτη 25/10/2007 08:48Neşe Yaşın we do stand by your side.
We are you/ as you are us /and we are all together
(a small variation of an old John Lennons song).
Πέμπτη 25/10/2007 10:35Έχεις και τη δική μου υποστήριξη στο δικό μου blog:
Πέμπτη 25/10/2007 15:12http://kaiydatwn.blogspot.com
We have also cross-posted in support and wish you good luck.
Πέμπτη 25/10/2007 15:45Be strong dearest Neşe Yaşın. We stand by your side to win your struggle for a better world, for a better Cyprus, for equality amongst all the people, for a more friendly and human society to the benefit of all and especially the young generation which has been poisoned by our emptiness.
Παρασκευή 26/10/2007 01:00Neşe, please keep us informed of the developments. Stratis blog is a a good place to put any updates. We can escalate our reaction if needed.
Btw do you have a blog?
Παρασκευή 26/10/2007 01:39Μαζί σου και το δικό μου μπλογκ!!
Καλή τύχη στην πορεία που χάραξες, και να ξέρεις πως θα κάνουμε ο,τι μπορούμε για να σε βοηθήσουμε να ακουστείς και να νικήσεις!
Respect!!
Παρασκευή 26/10/2007 10:03Neşe was on the Astra Radio station a few minutes ago, probably invited by politispittas. George Pavlides and George Pittas had a conversation with her over the phone. She mentioned that she is getting hundreds of emails from all over the world, particularly Cyprus and Turkey. She also mentioned that her attackers are in panic with the unexpected wave of support she is receiving.
Maybe it’s worth mentioning that what sounded like a perfectly good connection was cut off, abruptly ending their conversation. One can only hope it was a random failure and not more censorship.
Although unlikely, it would be nice if other media followed up with this story. City Free Press will have an article on Cypriot blogs today, so some more people might be able to see what’s going on because of the buzz that was created online. Maybe Politis and the Cyprus Mail will find some space to mention this.
Παρασκευή 26/10/2007 10:09Of course we support you Nese. As citizens defending the right of any man and woman to speak freely. I also listened to you this morning on Astra. Please inform us about the conferences or any other activity organized in your defence as I would like to attend.
Παρασκευή 26/10/2007 11:45Of course you are realize that you have crossed the “no turning back point” and you are a hero for that! But unfortunately “lonely heroes” there is only in books and films. So give us the opportunity to help you giving us as much information you can! A blog it would be a good idea because in this situations first hand information is yours and ours best card…
Keep on fighting…
Παρασκευή 26/10/2007 21:22Θα κάνω τα αυριανά «Άλλα Λόγια» στον Άστρα και βεβαίως το θέμα μου θα είναι η Neşe. (11 η ώρα το πρωί του Σαββάτου με επανάληψη την Κυριακή). Παράλληλα ετοιμάζω για τον Πολίτη ένα αφιέρωμα για το «Κυπριακό blogging» -όχι στο πλαίσιο της Στήλης Άλατος, αλλά έκτακτο και πιο μεγάλο, στο οποίο ασφαλώς θα αναφερθώ στην παρούσα κινητοποίηση σαν ένα θετικό δείγμα για την Κοινωνία των Πολιτών μέσα από το διαδίκτυο.
Παρασκευή 26/10/2007 21:25Dear Nese, your problem is our problem. Your fight is our fight. We support you from the very core of our soul and we’d like you to know that we will attend any activity organized in your defence! We unite our voice with yours, we unite our free and unsubdued spirit with yours!
Σάββατο 27/10/2007 12:48Thanks for your support and all the good words.
Σάββατο 27/10/2007 13:12I arrived to Istanbul yesterday night and tomorrow there will be a protest and a press conference at the Istanbul TÜYAP book fair. The organizers of the fair are establishing a special stand for me called “Nese Yasin’la dayanisma standı” (Stand to show solidarity with Nese Yasin) where I will sign my books, people will put their name to the support list and will read pages from my novel loud to make a protest.The attacks are still continuing. Although they are annoyed they keep writing every day.
I will ask an ex-student of mine to translate an article I wrote on the topic to Greek and will share with the group.
Thanks again for all the support.
Love
Nese
Nese,
The recently created United Youth stands by your side. We unite our voice and spirit with yours. Stay strong because our society needs people like you.
Sincerely,
Charalambos Rossides
Link to United Youth webpage:
http://hofstra.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2623575323
Κυριακή 28/10/2007 10:19My strong support to you Neshe. If I can do something, just let me know.
nenbog@yahoo.com
Κυριακή 28/10/2007 23:25@Nese Yasin
“Politik Kills” - Manu Chao, for you.
Κυριακή 28/10/2007 23:32Και ας ήταν η Νεσε Υασιν το μοναδικό θύμα του δικού μας ρατσισμού, θα ήταν ένα θύμα παρά πάνω. Και όσοι έντιμοι άνθρωποι ακόμα ζούν σ’αυτό τον τόπο θα είχαν υποχρεώση να διαμαρτυρηθούν. Διαμαρτύρομαι, λοιπόν, και υψώνω τη φωνή μου σαν ασπίδα προστασίας της αξιοπρέπειας της Νεσε Υασιν και του δικαιωμάτος της να ζήσει στη πατρίδα της ,με το σεβασμό ακι την έκτιμηση όλων μας. Ρικάρντο Λόπεζ
Δευτέρα 29/10/2007 00:55Dear Neşe,
We don’t know each other personally, but I always felt that we are friends since many years. Since the time that I got to know about You and that was when You wrote that excellent and sensational poem about our divided country. A poem that later on became o song by Marios Tokas and was sung by every one of us that loved this country and dreamed to see it united again.
Even though the words of the poem, (as I understood them) expressed the thoughts and feelings of a Turkish Cypriot, they always touched my heart because they expressed the agony of the common people of Cyprus, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots about the future of our country!
I always looked at you and at the other brave progressive and left wing Turkish Cypriots (politicians, journalists, trade unionist, people of art and literature), who had the courage and strength under more difficult circumstances to raise their voice against the violent division of Cyprus and to call for a united state.
I wish you every success in your struggle to defend yourself against fascistic and racists attacks including their aim to degrade you as a human being, writer and poet in the eyes of society and in this way isolate you and set you apart without an activity. They won’t succeed!
Lots of people embrace You not just with words of support, solidarity and sympathy, but with love and care as well. I myself declare that I am going to stand by your side and I am ready to give any help that I can afford.
TAKE CARE!
Anef_fovou (Without_fear)
29/10/2007 – 7:00 p.m.
Δευτέρα 29/10/2007 21:12Dear Nese
Τετάρτη 31/10/2007 16:24my strong support too from Brussels, Belgium. I am glad and proud I have met you last summer in Lefkosha/ Lefkosia/ Nicosia. I forwarded this link to everybody I know. We shouldn’t let nationalist and sexist idiots impose their silence on you or anybody.
About that the support list you mention, I think it is a good idea to turn it into a cyber-petition and gather signatures also electronically. It would be useful to have support from everywhere in the world, not just Turkey. I know you must be pretty busy these days, but it would be worthwhile.
@ Akis Gavriilidis Συμφωνώ με την ιδέα του petition. Αν θα το αρχίσεις ενημέρωσέ μας. Αν θέλεις στείλε μου τις σκέψεις σου στο mail μου. yiannis_i@yahoo.co.uk
Τετάρτη 31/10/2007 18:05P.S. (to my first message):
Dear Neşe,
Along with my support to your struggle against fascist methods that aim You, (as a human being, as a writer and poet and as an activist for peace and democracy), I would like to express my solidarity with the Hungarian Communists as well, that are suffering persecutions and are facing prison sentences for their ideas!
Thanks!
Anef_
Τετάρτη 31/10/2007 20:2431/102007 – 6:10p.m.
Every person respecting life and human rights is defenitely behind you in this one! Keep on your fight, which is our fight as well!
Τετάρτη 31/10/2007 20:42My dear sisters in Turkey have formed a web site for me.
Τρίτη 13/11/2007 20:42For those who want to put their signitures
www.neseyasinkadindayanismasi.org
Κάτω τα χέρια από ένα άνθρωπο που τόλμησε να προβάλει και να το κάνει πράξη, σε καιρούς χαλεπούς, το όραμα της ενωμένης Κύπρου! Η όποια αντίδραση απέναντι της θα μας βρει ακλόνητους…”ελιές τζιαι τερατσιές πάνω στο ρότσο”….Νισάφι πια!
Δευτέρα 24/12/2007 01:56