The friends of Hanefi Avci were asking everyone to write something on their columns about him and remind others of his situation.

I have been late for a few days.

I would like to repeat what I have been saying for years.

In all senses, Avci is the touchstone of ethics in this country, not because of his personality or his actions but because of what he went through and in this context what he has represented so far.

Today Avci is in prison because he exposed information regarding the Gülen community which he describes as the most problematic obstacle in Turkish democracy.

My words one and a half year ago were this: ''Avci published his work in 2010. He claimed in his book that in the police forces the Gülen community has rooted especially in the intelligence. In the book he claimed ''even my telephone conversations are tapped''.

He was saying that ''If something happens to me, it would be because I have realized this organization and I am against.''

What he said came true and it happened so.

His allegations in his book and the information he publicized all of a sudden left him face to face with the leaking of a secret investigation on a left wing organization.

It did not stop and went beyond this.

He was made into a collaborator of a leftist organization.

Even leftists reacted to the situation saying ''what does Hanefi Avci have to do with us?'' This is when the arbitrary scenes started to take place with ''how'' and ''why'' questions.

This supposed left organization was connected to Ergenekon and investigators were police and prosecutors. Hence they tried to present Avci''s book as an Ergenekon output.

The grave error here is: there was no proof except contrived far-fetched logic.

The issue was not only Avci.

What Avci went through ''was a critical step where the process of cleansing the tutelage regime and gangs turned out to involve other agendas and illegitimacies''

So what is the point?

It proves that the fact Avci is still in prison shows some certain indifferent faces and that those who react screamingly to articles and demands ''but he was a tormentor!'' portray the miserable attitude of the ''little minded, Pro-Gülenist and pragmatic leftist'' groups.

True, the touchstone of ethics keeps going like this.

The first thing that must be done today is to heal the wounds, which the Gülen community slashed.

From this point of view, are we not confronting a symbolic, practical and political challenge here?

Indeed, Avci symbolizes this kind of scar in all respects.

Should we not expect certain steps and legal actions to be taken for the discharge of Avci or a similar appeal for the sake of law?

It is not happening but it must be so. Justice is calling. The first move or reply to this challenge must be Avci''s case by means of compensation and legislation.