“Bonk’ abantu baseTurkey bazalwa bengamajoni.” Abantwana besikolo bawafundiswa oko la mazwi, iinkokeli zezopolitiko zihlala ziwathetha ibe namajoni abizelwa emkhosini asoloko eweva. Umthetho weli uthi bonk’ abafana bamele baye emkhosini, ibe bayakuvuyela oko. Ayothusi ke ngoko into yokuba urhulumente weli engafuni nokuva ngamalungelo abantu abangavumiyo ukuya emkhosini ngenxa yezazela zabo.

Njengokuba iTurkey iyinxalenye ye-Council of Europe iye yanesivumelwano sokuthobela imithetho ye-European Convention on Human Rights. Ekubeni isiGqeba se-European Court of Human Rights (I-ECHR) sagweba kwityala elithi, Bayatyan v. Armenia, iTurkey imele ilandele imithetho yaseYurophu ngokuhlonela amalungelo abantu abangavumiyo ukuya emkhosini ngenxa yezazela zabo. Ngenxa yokuba ingakwenzi oko, abantu abangavumiyo ukuya emkhosini ngenxa yezazela zabo baphathwa kakubi kweli.

Kule minyaka iyi-10 idlulileyo, amadoda ayi-55 angamaNgqina kaYehova aye afaka izicelo kurhulumente ukuze ahloniphe ilungelo lawo lokungayi emkhosini. Ezi zicelo ziwe phantsi, ngenxa yoko aye atyabekwa ngezityholo, ahlawuliswa ibe amanye aye athothoza eziseleni kangangeminyaka. Sithethanje kukho abafana abayi-15 abangamaNgqina eTurkey abatyabekwa ngezityolo ezifanayo zokungavumi ukuya emkhosini.

“Andiqondi ukuba kukho ilizwe elingandinyanzela ndenze into engqubanayo nesazela sam esiqeqeshwe ngeBhayibhile, nengqubana namazwi kaThixo akuIsaya 2:4 endimele ndiwathobele.” La mazwi adumileyo, abhalwe kwilitye eliphambi kwekomkhulu leZizwe Ezimanyeneyo kwisixeko saseNew York, ibe abalaselisa ukuba abantu abangayifuniyo imfazwe babeya ‘kuwakhanda amakrele abo abe ngamakhuba bangaphindi bafunde mfazwe kwakhona.’ Ngenxa yala mazwi uFeti Demirtaş owayeneminyaka eyi-25 ohlala eTurkey usichazela isizathu sokuba wakhetha ukuvalelwa entolongweni kunokuba aye emkhosini. NjengeNgqina likaYehova, uFeti uthobela isazela sakhe esiqeqeshwe yiBhayibhile. Ngenxa yoku, uFeti uye wagwetywa izihlandlo eziyi-10 waza wavalelwa kangangonyaka onesiqingatha.

Kwisihlandlo sokuqala sokubanjwa kwakhe, omnye umphathi wamajoni wathi makanxibe iyunifomu yomkhosi, kodwa lo mfana wala—wakhetha ukuthobela isazela esiqeqeshwe yiBhayibhile. Enye inkumanda yamajoni yamzisa phambi kwabafana abayi-400, nayo yathi kuFeti makanxibe iyunifomu yomkhosi. Lo mfana waphinda wala. Ukuqala kwakhe ukubanjwa, wayethukwa ekhatywa nangoonogada.

Kwisihlandlo sesihlanu sokuvalelwa kukaFeti ngoAprili 2006, oonogada bamnyanzela ukuba akhulule iimpahla ukuze anxibe iyunifomu yomkhosi. UFeti wala aza amajoni amvalela kwesinye isisele iintsuku ezine. Bezimisele ukumenza anikezele, babophelela izandla zakhe kwibhedi awayelala kuyo, emini babezibophelela kwintsimbi. UFeti uthi: “Ndandityhwatyhwa luloyiko emini, ibe babungehli ubuthongo ebusuku kuba ndandisoyika into eza kwenziwa kum. Indlela endandiphethwe ngayo yayindikhathaza kakhulu, kodwa ndandizimisele ukuthobela isazela sam.”

Ngo-2007 uFeti Demirtaş wamangalela urhulumente waseTurkey kwi-ECHR, kuba eye wavalelwa ngenxa yokuba engavumi ukuya emkhosini. NgoJanuwari 17, 2012, i-ECHR yathi uFeti akazange aphathwe kakuhle, wathotywa isidima ibe oko kwamenza wabuhlungu. Le Nkundla yade yathi ilungelo lokungayi emkhosini xa isazela singakuvumeli limele lihlonelwe ibe iyayixhasa loo nto. *

Kuba le Nkundla yayithethe ngolu hlobo, uFeti wayecinga ukuba abasemagunyeni baseTurkey babeza kuyeka ukumrhuqela ezinkundleni. Urhulumente waseTurkey wade wamhlawula imali emalunga ne-R297 560 ngokomyalelo we-ECHR. Kwadlula iinyanga nje zane emva kwesigwebo esasiwiswe yiNkundla kwityala elithi, Feti Demirtaş v. Turkey, iNkundla yoMkhosi yaphinda yamgweba iinyanga ezimbini ezinesiqingatha entolongweni kuba engavumi ukuya emkhosini. UFeti wafaka isibheno ibe sisahlolwa kwiNkundla yoMkhosi.

ITurkey ayiyiboneli ntweni imithetho ye-UN Human Rights Committee. Ngo-2008 amaNgqina amabini uCenk Atasoy noArda Sarkut bakhalaza kule Komiti, besithi iTurkey ibadlel’ i ndlala kuba bengavumi ukuya emkhosini. NgoMatshi 29, 2012, i-UN Human Rights Committee yathi la madoda ala ukuya emkhosini, “kuba ehlonela iinkolelo zawo; ilungelo lawo lokuba nenkululeko yesazela alithotyelwa ngokwe-article 18, isiqendu 1, se-International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”

Yintoni eyenziwe yiTurkey ngale mithetho icacileyo? Isafuna aba bafana babini baye emkhosini rhoqo emva kweenyanga ezine * okanye baza kurhuqelw’ ezinkundleni baze bahlawuliswe.

AmaNgqina kaYehova aseTurkey azimisele ukuthobela umyalelo weBhayibhile wokuthanda ummelwane. Xa abasemagunyeni beli lizwe bebiza abafana ukuba baye emkhosini, ngamnye kubo uya kuzenzela esakhe isigqibo. UFeti Demirtaş namanye amaNgqina baye bazigqibela ngelithi ukusebenzisa izixhobo zemfazwe kukophula umthetho weBhayibhile ibe kunxamnye nezazela zabo.

Aba bafana bafuna urhulumente wabo enze izinto ngokusemthethweni. I-ECHR ne-UN Human Rights Committee zilindele into yokuba iTurkey ihambisane nemithetho yayo, ukuze ihlonele amalungelo abantu abangavumiyo ukuya emkhosini ngexa yesazela. De yenze kanye loo nto, iTurkey ayikwenzi oko kwenziwa ngamanye amazwe e-Council of Europe, kuba ayilihloneli eli lungelo libalulekileyo.