10 February 2023
THE RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES CANNOT BE DEFENDED BY EXPLOITING THEM.
The history of humanity has witnessed not only those who use noble struggles for rights for their own petty personal ends, but also those who use them to conceal aims directed at destroying the existence and values of society. The struggles of people with disabilities for their rights and freedoms are, sadly, the struggles most subject to exploitation. Moreover, the number of associations and platforms claiming to work for people with disabilities is by no means small among those who create the ground for this. That the President of the İzmir branch of the Turkish Beyazay Association, Mr Salih Arıkan, has been subjected to outrageous insults and slanders on the platforms of the “Association of the Visually Impaired in Education” because he opposed the creation of ground for sympathy towards the separatist terrorist organisation PKK by undermining the Red Crescent, our nation's shared value, has been the latest link in this exploitation.
The Turkish Beyazay Association will continue, as it has since the day it was founded and for ever after, to wage every kind of struggle for the existence and values of our dear and noble nation, which embraces its members with disabilities and endures every sacrifice for them. Moreover, our answer to those who exploit people with disabilities and use our struggle to cover and conceal certain unseemly ambitions will, as always, be firm and severe. Our request of our dear and noble nation is that, as it has done until now, with its boundless understanding and tolerance, it should guide even those who target its existence and values towards what is good, beautiful and true rather than punishing them.
We believe that our great nation will do exactly that.
We respectfully submit this to the attention of our dear and noble nation.
The Turkish Beyazay Association