I read more than 200 books in prison.

I was born as the youngest of three children. From a young age, I worked hard in school. After middle school, I took the exams and got into an Anatolian High School. Later, I was accepted into the Faculty of Law at university. After graduating successfully, I passed the civil service exam and became a public prosecutor.

However, after the events of July 15, both my wife and I lost our jobs. Before I could understand what was happening, I was detained and then arrested. I spent 23 months in prison. Life in prison was very hard, especially because I had not done anything wrong. To stay strong, I started reading a lot of books. In about two years, I read more than 200 books. Since the library had a limit on how many books we could borrow, my friends borrowed books for me. I also worked on improving my English with the limited resources available.

After my release, I took a language exam to study at a second university. I was one of the top students in the country, and I ranked first. This was the beginning of my second university journey.

During this time, I needed to find a job to support my family. Since I had been dismissed from the state with a Statutory Decree, I could not get an official job. Fortunately, I found someone who understood my situation, and I started working as a driver for him. I was studying and working at the same time while enrolled in the English Language Teaching program. Our lives were slowly returning to normal. But then, the court made a decision in the case against my wife and me. The judges, who were influenced by politics, punished us like many others.

The country we loved had changed, and we knew we couldn’t stay. My wife and I decided to leave. It was winter, and the weather was very cold. But the idea of going back to prison felt even colder. So, we left the country illegally, even though it was very dangerous. We faced many challenges on the way. One night, we had to sleep in a tent near the border, with only our coats to keep us warm. We almost froze. But finally, thank God, we made it to Greece. Only people who have lost their freedom can really understand its true value.

When we arrived in Greece, the COVID-19 pandemic had started. We stayed there for almost a year. During that time, I made a living by teaching English online.

After a year, we moved to the Netherlands. Soon after we arrived, we started learning Dutch by ourselves. During this time, my wife and I did a lot of volunteer work, and we made many Dutch friends. When my Dutch improved, I took a computer course and then found a job.

About 1.5 to 2 years after arriving in the Netherlands, both my wife and I were able to find jobs. We are happy to support ourselves and pay our taxes without depending on anyone. We are very thankful to the Dutch people for their kindness, warmth, and support.