In the western Turkish metropolis of Istanbul, a vigil of relatives of seriously ill and political prisoners was again attacked by the police on Saturday. Ten people, mostly women, were taken into custody using violence. Among them are mothers fighting for the lives of their imprisoned children. The co-chair of the HDP Istanbul branch, Ilknur Birol, and the co-chair of the Anyakay-Der Solidarity Association, Evin Genç, were also detained.

The "Justice Vigil” has been going on for 23 weeks. Initially, the participants and supporters gathered every Thursday in front of the Istanbul Palace of Justice in Çağlayan to bring their concern to the public. On the one hand, they demand the release of sick prisoners and, on the other hand, the infamous measure of the Ministry of Justice to make the release of political prisoners dependent on a confession of remorse after they have served their prison sentence. There are many people in Turkish prisons whose regular prison term has long since expired and who are still not released because of their political views.

For several weeks now, the Justice Vigil has been taking place on Saturdays in different places in Istanbul. Yesterday, relatives of prisoners gathered at Mecidiyeköy Square in the Şişli district. The police were again on the scene with a large contingent and surrounded the vigil before those involved could make a public statement. The police commissioner Muhammed Hanifi Zengin, who is known for sexual violence against female demonstrators and who severely abused prisoner Cemile Karakaş during her arrest a fortnight ago, was also on duty again.

Without warning, the police tightened the circle around the people within seconds and fished Ilknur Birol out of the crowd first. Subsequently, Evin Genç, HDP activist Zübeyde Ince, "Saturday Mother" Hanife Yıldız, and prisoners’ mothers Fince Akman and Cemile Çiftçi were also detained and taken to Istanbul police headquarters. The names of the four other detainees are still unclear. They all now face charges for violating the Turkish Law of Assembly.

HDP MPs Oya Ersoy, Züleyha Gülüm and Ali Kenanoğlu, who were present to support the vigil in Şişli, protested against the arrests. Gülüm described the police crackdown as a "futile attempt" to hide the life-threatening conditions in the country's prisons and the dramatic number of deaths in custody. "Our resistance will continue until all sick prisoners are released from detention and people no longer have to die behind bars,” she underlined.