We conducted an interview with lawyer Hürrem Carolin Çevik for “hakveinsan” .
We would like to thank her.
İsmail Kulakçıoğlu.
- Can you shortly introduce yourself?
I was born of a Turkish father and a German mother. I graduated from the Istanbul Bahçeşehir University Faculty of Law in 2014. I did my master’s degree at Saarland University in 2019 in Germany in the field of European and International Law. I am a registered lawyer of the Izmir Bar Association. I conduct studies in the fields of trade law, international law and human rights.
- When did you begin to be interested in law?
Due to my very good ability to memorise when I was only in the second year of primary school, my father said that I could be a good lawyer in the future. After that day, the thought of being a lawyer never left me. As I grew older, I realised that I had a great interest in this field.
3) You wrote your internship thesis on the legal status of Protestants in Turkey:
- What is the general situation of Christians?
In Turkey, Christians have very good rights in certain fields such as; worshipping, explaining their faith and spreading it. However, in certain areas they do not have enough rights or even if they do have the rights, they face difficulties in applying them. These fields include; gaining legal status, being exempt from compulsory religion classes, raising up Christian religious leaders.
- What is the situation of Protestants?
They are in the same situations as Christians are in general. I believe that the losses that occur in the rights of Christians is often due to the lack of knowledge that the community have about them.
4) If we consider a simple definition, how should we define the phrase ” law”?
In its simplest form, law is a structure of justice which has sanction power and includes the rules needed for people to live together.
5) Does 2+2 make 4 in law? If so why? If not how?
Sometimes it does, sometimes it does not.
Certain rules and decisions are very clear. In these situations, 2+2 always equals 4. I used to always think that this is was the case when I especially read the constitutions, law, charters and regulations when in the Faculty of Law. However, when I experienced the application of these during my internship at the Bar Association, I realised that there was a great difference between the law and its applications. Often 2+2 did not make 4.
6) How must we evaluate different approaches and decisions of law, made on the same topic?
We can evaluate different approaches of law on the same topic as diversity, or as a tedious.
I believe the topic that is being approached differently is very important. This situation can be very annoying and the community can lose trust in justice if the case is related to objective topics such as murder or rape and the evidence and laws are clear. However lawfully evaluating certain sections of the law that are open to interpretation differently in certain private law cases can serve to find the truth, to enable justice and to help find correct interpretations.
7) Can the phrase ‘’law’’ be used to randomly justify an action or procedure?
Whether or not an action or procedure is lawful, is determined by looking at the regulations. However, it must not be forgotten that the regulations are written by people. Due to this reason, it is impossible for them to be perfect. With time, we witness that the regulations change. Actions that were previously seen to be against the law can become for the law. Whether or not an action is lawful or not must not be tested with subjective criteria but must be objective. The law is for everyone, it must not only serve a certain people group.
8) What is your approach to the phrase; human rights?
It is above all rights. These are inherent and inalienable rights from birth. They are the most important rights that must be protected and defended.
9) What is the core of the Human Rights Law?
Its core belief is that all humans are free and have equal rights without discrimination.
10) When the United Nations Deceleration of Human Rights is considered, what kind of difficulties are faced practically in the world?
- Unequal pay for equal work,
- Arbitrary Arrests,
- Arbitrarily depriving people of their property and goods,
- Disturbing people due to their beliefs and ideas,
- Breech of a just and convenient price for all workers and their families that live a suitable life according to human dignity and if needed are completed with all social protection agencies.
11) Governments that we call Western governments seem to be drifting away from widely interpreting the Human Rights Laws. What is your idea on this?
I think that this is due to the increase in racism, safety worries and fear in Europe.
12)So I want to draw the questions to a more personal level; to our personal responsibilities. When we say Human Rights Law, people tend to think of the government and governmental applications. What do you think are the responsibilities that people have towards each other? Is it possible to make a definition in light of the Human Rights Law?
Firstly, people must be taught that everyone has equal rights from birth, that no family or race is higher than any other, that every individual is free to have their own ideas, beliefs and religious views and that these basic rights cannot be prevented by others. This responsibility belongs to every individual.
If people know their own rights, then they can teach them to others. The responsibility that people have towards other human beings is to know these rights, then to apply these rights and to protect them.
13) Be it personal or organisational, how must terrorist activities have conducted with ideological motivations, evaluated with regards to the Human Rights Law?
Terrorist activities are the most severe breech of human rights. Terrorist activities directly aim against the right to live, freedom and safety which is stated in the 3rd article of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights Law. Due to terrorist activities, governments begin to limit human rights.
14) If we return to the nation in which we live in, where are we at in relation to human rights?
If we discuss this in relation to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, then we see that Turkey is way in advance in certain areas however way behind in others. However, our nation needs to advance more in the area of freedoms. I want to especially draw attention to the freedom of belief. Despite the article 24 of our constitution states that ‘’Everyone has the freedom of conscience, religious beliefs and conviction. No one can be forced to worship, attend religious meetings and ceremonies, forced to explain their religious views and convictions; no one can be blamed or faulted for their religious views and beliefs.”, our nation has not yet realised that religious views are personal, can be freely chosen, and that people cannot be blamed or found at fault for their religious views. As long as this knowledge of freedom is not rooted within the mind-set of a nation, then it will continue to remain a human rights problem.
15) what must be done in the world and in Turkey regarding Human Rights?
It is true that the breech of human rights occurs mostly due to the lack of knowledge which results in prejudice. The most effective solution is to raise awareness. Governments and organisations working in the field of human rights must carry out activities, panels, meetings, seminars, television programs and documentaries; the Ministry of Education must train teachers, the school books must include human rights, the press must raise awareness, families must teach their children from a young age that to be different isn’t bad, they must teach their children to be respectful, the government must be in dialog with people groups who are faced with the breech of human rights and the government must find solutions for their problems.
Lawyer Hürrem Carolin Çevik
22 March 2020, İzmir
