Police forces attacked the protest demonstration for educators Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça who are jailed and on hunger strike for 149 days by now in reaction to the expulsion from their professions.
Academic Nuriye Gülmen and teacher Semih Özakça are two of the tens of thousands of people who were expelled with a Statutory Decree following last year’s coup attempt. Gülmen and Özakça were holding a daily vigil demonstration on the Yüksel Street in the heart of Turkish capital Ankara against their expulsion with a Statutory Decree, and later started a hunger strike to get their jobs back in March. Both educators were jailed in late May, since when they continue their hunger strike in prison.
Even though the protest marches in Istanbul were held 7 times before in a routine manner, this week the Turkish police obstructed the demonstrators under the pretext that "the traffic is caused to jam", and attacked them after they showed reaction with a sit-in action.
The weekly march which the police cracked down today, is organised by the Platform of Solidarity with Nuriye and Semih and held each Friday. The front of the Opera Süreyya, which is the usual start-point for the march, was already besieged by the police, before the demonstrators got there. As the people prepared for the march, they were obstructed by the police under the pretext that "The traffic would be hindered".
After the demonstrators showed reaction and held a sit-in in front of the Opera Süreyya, the Turkish police attacked them violently with plastic bullets. The mass resisted with slogans such as "Nuriye and Semih are not alone", "Oppression can't intimidate us", "We will live as humans with honour" and "Humanity's honour will defeat torture".
Among the 35 persons detained violently after being battered, are the lawyer of Nuriye and Semih, Barkin Timtik from the Contemporary Lawyers Association (ÇHD), Turkey Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) Istanbul representative Ümit Efe, BDSP members Murat Yıldırım and Onur Aydoğan, and KESK (Confederation of Public Workers’ Unions) member Huseyin Memiş who was expelled with a Statutory Decree from his profession. One youth was saved from being taken into custody due to the intervention of the people.
After the crackdown, the police also attacked the mass that gathered on Bahriye Avenue to protest the detentions, using rubber bullets with pepper gas. A baby was affected heavily by the gas, along with the many other persons.
The peaceful demonstrators gathered at Kalkedon Square after the violent police attack, and demanded the freedom for their detained friends who were referred later to the Security Directorate of Istanbul.
