Police Use Tear Gas, Rubber Bullets to Prevent Press Statement on Hunger Strikes

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Several organizations have been dispersed by the police after they gathered on the Kızılay Square in the capital Ankara to make a press statement on the hunger strike in prisons, in which more than three thousand inmates participate.

Members of the Human Rights Association (İHD), the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV), the Lİbertarian Lawyers Platform (ÖHP), and the Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) went to Kızılay today (April 22), to make a press statement before presenting their report on the hunger strikes to the Ministry of Justice.

CLICK - Peace Mothers Beaten, Dragged Across Ground for Holding Demos on Hunger Strikes

The police said it won't permit the statement to be made and asked the crowd to disperse. When they rejected the request of the police and insisted on making the statement, the police used tear gas and rubber bullets against them.

Five people detained

Five lawyers from the Monitoring Commission for Hunger Strikes, Veysi Eski, Bülent Aşa, Kenan Maçoğlu, Fatma Kılıçaslan, and Ahmet Baran Çelik, were detained during the incident.

Kılıçarslan was hospitalized after she was hit in her head. She was detained after her treatment. The lawyers were released later.

The Commission announced that the Ministry of Justice did accept its request for a meeting.

The group then moved to the headquarters of the İHD, which is also in the vicinity of the Kızılay area, to read their press statement.

Yet, the police were also there to prevent the statement, suggesting to the group to read it inside the İHD building.

İHD Chair: This is a typical police and state attack

İHD Chair Öztürk Türkdoğan spoke here, reminded the police response to the Peace Mothers' gathering for the same purpose: "We came here to contribute to the screams of mothers who were dragged across the ground."

The police violently responded to the demonstrations of the Peace Mothers on Friday (April 19) and Saturday. The women gathered to draw attention to the hunger strikes.

Türkdoğan said, "If there was no police attack, we would deliver the reports we prepared to the Ministry of Justice and to the political parties that are present at the parliament. But they didn't permit this."

After this statement, the group entered the İHD building. Türkdoğan continued to speak here, saying, "This is a typical police and state attack. The intervention of the police is the continuation of the state of emergency. Our purpose is to request the isolation in İmralı (where PKK leader Öcalan resides) and prisons to be lifted. We always face despotic state practices."

ÇHD Secretary General: Isolation is everywhere

ÇHD Secretary General Nergiz Tuba spoke after Türkdoğan, saying, "We once again saw that Turkey is under the conditions of a heavy fascism. We request the family and lawyer meetings to continue. The isolation on Abdullah Öcalan should be lifted by granting the constitutional demands. The isolation is not only in the prison, but everywhere." (HA/VK)