Police Attack on Union’s Sit-In in Ankara, Malatya

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Police attacked the sit-in organized by Confederation of Public (KESK) members in Ankara and Malatya to protest State of Emergency and the Statutory Decrees on Saturday (January 4).

On its Twitter account, KESK wrote “We condemn the police violence against our members who staged a sit-in in protest of discahrges by using their democratic rights in Ankara and Malatya”.

Pepper gas in Ankara

KESK Ankara Branches Platform had made a call on people to rally on Sakarya Street for the Statutory Decrees, which remove job security, to be revoked and State of Emergency to be ended. The police officers coming to Sakarya Street told the KESK members that they wouldn’t permit the protest.

According to sendika.org, the protests didn’t leave the street and started the sit-in, and that the police intervened in the group with pepper gas.

Three KESK members were beaten and taken into custody.

30 detentions in Malatya

According to a report by Malatya Time, KESK organized a sit-in to act in solidarity with those discharged of their duties through Statutory Decrees. Rallying on Yüzüncüyıl Intersection, the group started to protest the discharges.

However, stating that all sorts of protests and demonstrations were prohibited by the governorship, police attacked the protestors.

Riot squad forces took 30 people into custody. The detainees were taken to Malatya Security Directorate.

87,346 people have been discharged of public service and dismissed from profession during the State of Emergency, 319 of them could return to their jobs. (AS/TK)