Democracy Activists

"I don't regret my support for the protest movement. I came here empty-handed, and I owe everything I've got to the freedom of Hong Kong. Maybe it's time for me to give it back... I think there's more to life than money."

"The intention of the Chinese government taking away our freedom is so obvious that we know, if we don't fight, we will lose everything...When you lose the freedom, you lose everything. What do you have?"

"I don't want to leave Hong Kong, the only thing we can do is persist, not to lose spirit or hope. And to think that what is right will eventually prevail."

"I hope one day not only Hong Kong people, but also people in mainland China, can enjoy freedom and democracy."

"An apple a day keep the lies away."

"When I escaped from China and came to Hong Kong, the contrast was that China was like hell and Hong Kong, like heaven. Though I was very poor, I smelled the air of freedom and was full of hope for the future. That’s the way I thought heaven is."

"We’re moving from a semi-democratic to a semi-authoritarian system and the central government wants to limit our freedoms."

"If I really treated business like a businessman, I wouldn’t have done what I have done — opposing China. No businessman in their right mind would do this, because you know that there will be repercussions."

"I only said that independence was one theoretical option for Hong Kong if the party collapses, alongside a federal state or an EU-style confederation."

"The Communist Party is fully in charge and they give however much freedom they want to give and can take it away any time they like…"

"We fear Hong Kong will become just another Chinese city."

"At the time (1980s) Beijing was worried that people would all leave. To win their hearts, it (promised to allow) Hong Kong people to rule Hong Kong and to have a high degree of autonomy."

"Developments in Afghanistan, Angola and Central America in 1988–9 were each regionally highly significant. In combination, these developments contributed greatly to a reduction in international tension. At the same time, they had far less of an impact on global attention than developments in the heartlands of the Communist bloc. These developments revealed two different tendencies. The brutal suppression in 1989 of pressure in China for political liberalisation, notably with the massacre of student protesters in Tiananmen Square in Beijing in April (but not only there), was central to the maintenance of a Communist bloc in East Asia. The decision to act followed tension within the leadership, with Zhao Ziyang, the General Secretary of the Party, being sympathetic to the protesters, whereas the Premier, Li Peng, wanted to use force against them. Ultimately, Deng Xiaoping backed Li. The People’s Daily referred to the pro-democracy movement as an ‘anti-Party and anti-Socialist upheaval’. It was seen as a challenge to the position and legitimacy of the Party leadership."

"Students, we came too late. We are sorry. You talk about us, criticize us, it is all necessary. The reason that I came here is not to ask for your forgiveness. What I want to say is that you are all getting weak, it has been seven days since you went on a hunger strike, you can't continue like this. As time goes on, your body will be damaged beyond repair, it could be very life-threatening. Now the most important thing is to end this strike. I know, your hunger strike is to hope that the Party and the government will give you a satisfying answer. I feel that our communication is open. Some of these problems can only be solved through certain procedures. For example, you have mentioned about the nature of the incident, the question of responsibility; I feel that those problems can be resolved eventually, we can reach a mutual agreement in the end. However, you should also know that the situation is very complicated, it is going to be a long process. You can't continue the hunger strike longer than seven days, and still insist on receiving a satisfying answer before ending the hunger strike."

"In China and Korea, feudalism was brought down and replaced with counties and prefectures before the birth of Christ, and civil service exams to recruit government officials are a thousand years-old. The exercise of power by the king and high officials were monitored by robust systems of auditing. In sum, Asia was rich in the intellectual and institutional traditions that would provide fertile grounds for democracy. What Asia did not have was the organizations of representative democracy. The genius of the west was to create the organizations, a remarkable accomplishment that has greatly advanced the history of humankind."

"In an era of a global economy, we can't survive without foreign investment. We must change our attitude toward foreign investment. We should welcome it."

"Dr Kim Dae-Jung, the one unmistakably great political leader with whom I have had the privilege to talk at length, to whom his country owes far more than it has yet begun to realize, by his singular courage."

"For human rights issues, I think the intervention or support from the outside world is important. But also the effort and sacrifice, or willingness to make sacrifices within, among the people of a nation is important. The Korean democracy -- we had a few decades of sacrifices and tens of people lost their lives because of this concept and hundreds of people were imprisoned because of this concept and we finally gained it. And also the support from the democratic-minded peoples and democratic countries was very important. Of course the prime example of that nation is the United States."

"So when the U.N. made a resolution and asked us to send troops to East Timor, we took this as a responsibility that we must take, and also this was to repay them for their favors. As for the secretary-general's statement that when there is a conflict between human rights and the sovereign right, that sometimes the human rights can override the sovereign right, I think in principle that is right, because before we had nations, we had God-given human rights."

"Eventually, North Korea will come out for dialogue. Even though we may hold dialogue at the end, if the provocations are prolonged, then the compensation that we have to give North Korea will become bigger."

"Once elected president in 1998, Kim chose reconciliation over revenge — even inviting his persecutors from the previous military governments to the Blue House, where he sought and welcomed their counsel during his presidency. Kim Dae Jung showed[,] that true leadership lies in compassion, not [in] coercion."

"Many of the leaders of Asian society have been saying that military dictatorship was the way and democracy was not good for their nation. They concentrated only on economic development. I believe that the fundamental cause of the financial crisis, including here in Korea, is because of placing economic development ahead of democracy."

"I believe democracy is the foundation of a healthy economy. Without genuine democracy you cannot have a genuine market economy. And, under the market economy, one must fully open doors to allow free trade and investment."

"If parents can tell their kids, `Look at Kim Dae Jung: Live upright, put your effort into a good cause and you will be successful,' then I think my life would be very meaningful"

"I agonize over the suffering that the North Korean people must be experiencing. Every time I'm having a meal and I leave some food, I think about how much this food could do for suffering North Korean children. I really do want to do more to help them, but again, with such negative public opinion in this country, it is very difficult to go ahead with assistance."

"I am confident in my dealings with the heads. I believe that I have won their trust because, I have asked them for nothing. Unlike past presidents, I did not force them to give me money or political funds. Not a single cent. And, I have not shown favoritism to any particular chaebol. They know that I am fair."

"If we had true democracy in Korea, then the collusive intimacy between business and government and corruption would not have been as great here. And the wealth would not have been allocated to only a few people. Usually the dictatorship or authoritarian style of government lies to people."

"I have been living a reclusive life in a small village in the United States of my own free will for 17 years. The claim that I persuaded the world's 8th largest army to stage a coup against its own government from 10,000 km away is an unconvincing slander and has not been accepted by the world public opinion. If there are soldiers who define themselves as sympathizers of the Hizmet movement among those who joined the coup plotter junta, in my opinion, those people betrayed the unity and integrity of their country by taking part in an attempt in which their own citizens lost their lives, violated the values ​​I have defended throughout my life, and caused the victimization of hundreds of thousands of innocent people."

"Just 20 minutes after the start of this treacherous coup attempt, before the perpetrators of the incident were even revealed, Mr. Erdoğan accused me. It is thought-provoking that the culprit was declared so quickly, even before the details of the incident were revealed and without knowing who did it and why. As someone who has suffered from many military coups over the last 50 years, it is offensive to me to be associated with such an initiative. I absolutely deny these accusations."

"If there are those who were influenced by the interventionist culture in a section of the army and put these reflexes before their service values, which I do not think, their mistakes cannot be attributed to the entire movement. I leave them to God."

"Yes, it reduced the country from a country with zero enemies to a country with zero friends. Because by interfering in the internal affairs of surrounding countries, he tried to design those countries through armed radical groups that he supported in various ways. He saw this right in himself, establishing himself as the leader of the Middle East and the caliph of the Islamic world. We did not approve of any of these. That's why he declared us enemies. From now on, he tried to achieve his political goals by blaming every negative event on the Service. For example, using the December 2013 corruption investigation as an excuse, he politicized the entire judiciary and thus rendered the judiciary ineffective. By disbanding the experienced police personnel that the country had trained for years, it rendered the police force inoperable. He ensured the transfer of major media groups to his supporters and prevented others from voicing the truth by silencing them, sometimes with advertising support and tenders, and sometimes with threats. Under the pretext of the July 15 incident, he inflicted the greatest historical damage on the Armed Forces and took them under his tutelage. In short, Erdogan turned state institutions into instruments of his political ambitions and polarized the public in an unprecedented way."

"No one, including me, is above the law. I want those responsible for this coup, regardless of their background, to go through a fair legal process and receive the punishment they deserve. Since the judicial system in Turkey has been under political tutelage since October 2014, the possibility of a fair trial is low. That's why I have repeatedly declared that an international commission should be established on this issue and that I would willingly comply with the conclusion of this commission."

"The spirit of the Quran, and so to speak, the philosophy of the biography, can only be grasped through a holistic perspective and with the sincere intention of seeking God's will. The third mistake is to claim that democracy and religion are incompatible, claiming that "Religion is based on God's sovereignty, while democracy is based on the people's vote." No believer doubts that God Almighty rules everything in a cosmological sense; however, this does not mean that our wills, inclinations, and preferences do not exist, or that God does not take them into account. The fact that sovereignty belongs to the people—God forbid—does not mean that it is taken from God and given to the people; it is the taking of a matter entrusted to the people's control by God from any despotic individual or oligarchy and entrusting it to the people."

"Furthermore, what we call "state" is the name of the system created by people who come together to protect their fundamental rights and freedoms and to ensure justice and peace. The state is not an end in itself, but a tool that helps people achieve happiness in both worlds. The extent to which the people who constitute that system embrace certain fundamental beliefs and values ​​is proportionate to the state's adherence to those beliefs and values. Therefore, the term "Islamic state" is inherently contradictory. Since there is no clergy in Islam, theocracy is alien to the spirit of Islam. The state, the result of a social contract between people, is ultimately composed of people; it cannot be "Islamic" or "holy.""

"We can say that Erdogan sees himself as the leader of the world's Muslims, and that he has become an embarrassment both with his words and actions, and with the use of the resources of the Turkish state to collect credit for himself in the world. In fact, those around him were not satisfied with this and called him a world leader."

"One of the important reasons for the conflict is that the Hizmet Movement, which carries out successful educational activities around the world, did not embrace the "leadership of the world's Muslims" discourse claimed by Erdogan and did not support it in the international arena. For this reason, they are now trying to use state resources and mobilize all diplomats and intelligence agencies to close down Hizmet training institutions around the world or have them transferred to the Maarif Foundation, and to extradite the Hizmet participants there to Turkey and imprison them."

"There may be people within the Brotherhood who are involved in terrorism and violence. There were also those who expressed this opinion in Europe and America. If there is such involvement in terrorism, this can never be approved. Our basic approach, which has not changed since day one, against all kinds of terrorist movements has been: “A true Muslim cannot be a terrorist. "And a terrorist can never be a true Muslim." Therefore, Islamic groups must take a clear stance against terrorism and violence and take a firm stance. Otherwise, the face of Islam will be darkened and the religion will be betrayed."

"The participants of this movement have not been involved in a single act of violence throughout its 50-year history, and although they have been subjected to a "witch hunt", to put it openly by Erdoğan, in the last 3 years, they have not taken to the streets or defied the security forces. The Hizmet movement, which has been suffering under a systematic hate campaign and state oppression for 3 years, made its legitimate defense by complying with the limits set by the law and sought its rights only through legal means."

"Throughout my life, I have publicly and privately denounced military interventions in domestic politics. In fact, I have been advocating for democracy for decades. Having suffered through four military coups in four decades in Turkey — and having been subjected by those military regimes to harassment and wrongful imprisonment — I would never want my fellow citizens to endure such an ordeal again. If somebody who appears to be a Hizmet sympathizer has been involved in an attempted coup, he betrays my ideals."

"Those who know me and the movement closely know that Erdogan has never been my student. We have fundamental differences of opinion in many areas, especially the use of religion in politics."

"Nevertheless, Mr. Erdogan’s accusation is no surprise, not for what it says about me but rather for what it reveals about his systematic and dangerous drive toward one-man rule."

"In addition to condemning mindless violence, including during the coup attempt, we have emphasized our commitment to preventing terrorists’ recruitment from among Muslim youth and nurturing a peaceful, pluralist mind-set."

"Like many Turkish citizens, the Hizmet movement’s participants supported Mr. Erdogan’s early efforts to democratize Turkey and fulfill the requirements for membership in the European Union. But we were not silent as he turned from democracy to despotism. Even before these new purges, Mr. Erdogan in recent years has arbitrarily closed newspapers; removed thousands of judges, prosecutors, police officers and civil servants from their positions; and taken especially harsh measures against Kurdish communities. He has declared his detractors enemies of the state."

"Since 2014, when Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan was elected president after 11 years as prime minister, he has sought to transform Turkey from a parliamentary democracy into an “executive presidency,” essentially without checks on his power. In that context, Mr. Erdogan’s recent statement that the failed coup was a “gift from God” is ominous. As he seeks to purge still more dissenters from government agencies — nearly 70,000 people have been fired so far — and to crack down further on Hizmet and other civil society organizations, he is removing many of the remaining impediments to absolute power. Amnesty International has revealed “credible” reports of torture, including rape, at detention centers. No wonder Mr. Erdogan’s government suspended the European Convention on Human Rights and declared a state of emergency."

"Hizmet, in particular, has been the target of the president’s wrath. In 2013, Mr. Erdogan blamed Hizmet sympathizers within the Turkish bureaucracy for initiating a corruption investigation that implicated members of his cabinet and other close associates. As a result, scores of members of the judiciary and the police forces were purged or arrested for simply doing their jobs."

"Neither I nor those who devoted themselves to service set out on the basis of Western-origin ideologies. Our reference has always been the Islamic values ​​that were represented in the life of our Prophet (pbuh) and which we also believe are universal values. Holding every human being dear, equality before the law, giving women the opportunity to take part in social life, the rule of law in government and an administration with the participation of citizens... these are Islamic and universal values. Some may make some analogies to this stance, but our source is clear."

"Violent extremism feeds on the frustrations of those forced to live under dictators who cannot be challenged by peaceful protests and democratic politics. In Turkey, the Erdogan government’s shift toward a dictatorship is polarizing the population along sectarian, political, religious and ethnic lines, fueling the fanatics."

"Turkey experienced the biggest disaster in its recent history with the coup attempt that took place on the night of July 15, and came back from the brink of a cliff. What happened that night can be described as a terrorist coup in the harshest terms. All segments of Turkish society, who thought that military interventions were a thing of the past, showed that they were on the side of democracy by taking a common stance against the coup attempt. I condemned the coup in clear and unambiguous language while the attempt was still going on."

"For the sake of worldwide efforts to restore peace in turbulent times, as well as to safeguard the future of democracy in the Middle East, the United States must not accommodate an autocrat who is turning a failed putsch into a slow-motion coup of his own against constitutional government."

"Turkey’s president is blackmailing the United States by threatening to curb his country’s support for the international coalition against the Islamic State. His goal: to ensure my extradition, despite a lack of credible evidence and virtually no prospect for a fair trial. The temptation to give Mr. Erdogan whatever he wants is understandable. But the United States must resist it."