In a letter to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey, the New York City Bar Association expresses “serious concerns regarding the maintenance of the rule of law and the targeting and detention of lawyers in Turkey following recent events there.” The letter, prepared by the City Bar’s Committee on International Human Rights and Committee on European Affairs and signed [...] → Read the full article…
Those who wanted to march towards the Democratic Solution Tent were intercepted by gas bombs and water cannons. Yet you didn’t see them, although there were kids present in that march. You didn’t see them, because in fact you have been watching penguins every day for the past thirty years. “Wait a second…We have been watching Diyarbakir from the same [...] → Read the full article…
Berkay Güven is a veterinary surgeon. He is one of those who participated in Gezi resistance since Day 1. He was hit on Tuesday, June 11. He was taken into intensive care unit with suspected cerebral hemorrhage, because of the crack on his skull. After surviving the critical hours, he was taken to the service. He was able to talk during our visit but constantly [...] → Read the full article…
History is written at Gezi Park in İstanbul, in an unexpected way, at an unexpected moment and by unexpected people. And after the use of disproportionate force, the violence snowballed and spread to many cities and neighborhoods. Unbelievable things have happened. Unbelievable cases of violence took place. But what for? Wouldn’t it be nice if everything went as smooth as [...] → Read the full article…
We continue the testimonies of the youths: Today we talk with a daring young lawyer, a graduate of the Istanbul University, Faculty of Law. She has been part of the Gezi movement from the start both as a protester and as a lawyer. She tells us about her first-hand experience. Let’s listen to her What is your name? – Rozerin [...] → Read the full article…
We talked with one of the Yesil Gazete editors, Dr. Savas Comlek, about the infirmaries in the park and what happenned during his detention. He was taken into custody on June 16 and released the same day, How did you become involved with the Gezi Parki protests? I want to live in a better city. In recent years, the city [...] → Read the full article…
In the past weeks, the Gezi Park occupation has weathered a ferocious police deployment accompanied by an almost ceaseless barrage of tear gas, plastic bullets, and water cannons directed at the peaceful congregration at the heart of Taksim. According to the latest report of the Turkish Medical Association, as of 17 June, 7,882 people have been hospitalized; four are confirmed [...] → Read the full article…
Gökhan Biçici was detained on 16 June after being battered and dragged on the floor by the police. And after he was released, he told us the police violence he experienced Gökhan Biçici, a member of broadcasting board in Emek Dünyası Net and the program editor of Emek Dünyası on İmc TV, went to Şişli to watch the protests against [...] → Read the full article…
GENEVA (18 June 2013) – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Tuesday welcomed last week’s decision by the Turkish Government to put on hold further action on the Gezi Park development in Istanbul until there is a court decision, and then to submit the issue to a local referendum. She urged Turkey’s government and civil society to [...] → Read the full article…
Reporters Without Borders strongly condemns the continuing arbitrary arrests and escalating violence against journalists covering anti-government demonstrations in Turkey. At least eight journalists were briefly arrested yesterday in Istanbul. Violence spread after the police retook Istanbul’s Gezi Park on the evening of 15 June. Media personnel were kept at a distance from the police operation and access to Taksim Square [...] → Read the full article…