turkey - Justice for Gezi prisoners

15 January 2014 

ISTANBUL | 14-01-2014 | Families continue to demand justice for their children who were jailed following Gezi protests that erupted and spread across the country last July.
The Gezi Park protests sparked off on May 27 when a group of activists from Taksim Solidarity gathered in Istanbul’s Gezi Park after bulldozers came to the area to cut down trees. The uprising began as a protest against the planned destruction of the park but turned into a nationwide outpouring of anger against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s rule.
The mass anti-government demonstrations throughout the country were brutally supressed by police forces and ended up with the arrest of dozens of protestors who face a range of charges including being a member of a terrorist organisation, illegal possession of hazardous material and terrorist propaganda.
Destroying public property, incapacitating civil servants and injuring security forces are among the other crimes they are accused of having committed.
Those remanded in custody in connection with Gezi protests include a large number of people from various ages and professions, and mainly youths and students who came to the fore as the largest community involved in protest demonstrations, demanding their rights and freedoms and calling on the PM to resign in order for the ending of the continued repression of opponent and anti-government circles in the country.
Justice remains still undone for Gezi protestors while those responsible for the death of five protestors and the critical injury of dozens of others during the demonstrations are being “protected by the government” as is said by the families of the victims and human rights defenders.
Relatives and friends of Gezi protestors in prison staged their 29th Vigil for Justice last Saturday. The vigil outside the Galatasary High School was also joined by the Gezi protestors who were released on 6 January.
“This is just the beginning, keep the struggle going” read the banner they carried during the weekly demo during which they once again condemned the unfair arrest of Gezi protestors, and higlighted demands for the release of all others still remanded in custody.
“The fascist jusiciary has arrested us and the justice of the people has enabled our release”, said Sıtkı Güngör who has recently been released after spending seven months in prison for taking part in June’s mass demonstrations.
As justice remains undone, the police repression of demonstrations continues, with almost no demos being allowed, and almost all protestor being subjected to brutal crackdown once they take to the streets to demand justice.
On Monday, Istanbul police once again attacked a group of demonstrators who wanted to make a statement to the press at Taksim Square. All protestors did was to display solidarity with 15 year-old Berkin Elvan who remains in coma since he was struck in the head with a police tear-gas canister on June 16. At the time Elvan was going to the bakery to buy bread. He marked his 15th birthday in intensive care on 5 January.
The police intervention in the group ended with the detention of eleven demonstrators, members of the Halk Cephesi (People’s Front) organization.
The impunity of police forces has left many dead, injured and investigated but it seems the use of excessive police force against the people will continue to go unrestricted and unpunished as government officials continue to defend the repression of “unlawful demonstrations” as they call the justice demands of the people.
(ANF)
AHM-ATİK News Centre