Women take to streets across Turkey to protest male violence

* Photo: Gazete Duvar - Beşiktaş, İstanbul

Click to read the article in Turkish (1) (2) (3)

Reported missing six days ago in Turkey's Aegean province of Muğla, university student Pınar Gültekin was found dead in the woods yesterday (July 21). Shortly afterwards, it was understood that she was murdered. Murder suspect Cemal Metin A. was arrested in early morning hours today.

CLICK - Murder suspect of Pınar Gültekin arrested

After the killing of Gültekin was reported in the press, several women's organizations announced that they would stage protests and marches to raise concerns and publicity about male violence and femincides in Turkey. Accordingly, hundreds of women came together in the provinces of İzmir, Ankara, Muğla, Malatya, Antalya and Mersin.

Police attacked women in İzmir

* Photo: MA

As reported by Mezopotamya Agency (MA), upon the call of "Women are Strong Together" platform, the women of İzmir met in Alsancak and made a statement. Afterwards, they wanted to march to Türkan Saylan Cultural Center. The police intercepted the women's march.

Women insisted on marching, the police intervened against the women. While several women were battered and dragged on the floor, police also threatened the citizens protesting the police attack and the journalists reporting on the intervention, saying that "they will also be detained."

While the MA reported that at least 15 women were taken into custody, 32. Gün Twitter account announced that seven women were detained.

İzmir'de Pınar Gültekin'in katledilmesini protesto etmek için sokağa çıkan kadınlara polis müdahalesi: 7 kadın gözaltına alındıpic.twitter.com/4a5kVoDgox

— 32gunTV (@32gunTV) July 21, 2020

Detained women released

* Photo: MA

Battered and detained by the police in İzmir, 12 women were released after the related formalities at the police department today (July 22). 

Making a brief statement in front of the Alsancak State Hospital after they were released, Deniz Uzlu has announced that they will file a complaint.

İstanbul

In İstanbul, women came together in Kadıköy on the Anatolian side of the city and in Beşiktaş on the European side.

Kadıköy

Making a statement for the press in front of Eminönü Dock in Kadıköy, women stressed that both İstanbul Convention and the Law no. 6284 on the Protection of Family and Prevention of Violence against Women need to be implemented "so that not a single more woman will lose her life."

In their statement in Kadıköy, women also said:

"Pınar Gültekin was killed for the reason underlying every feminicide: She was killed because she said 'No' to a man.

"Those who want to abolish İstanbul Convention want that women do not say 'No' to men and they do not live if they say 'No.' Those who kill women are encouraged by the male judiciary and the rulers of the country.

"We are in revolt today so that we can live in spite of them, so that we can lead an equal and free life; we are in revolt for Pınar Gültekin, for all of us; women are in revolt today everywhere for all of us."

Beşiktaş

Gathering in Beşiktaş to protest male violence, women chanted the slogans "Woman, life, freedom" and "You will never walk alone."

As reported by Ferhat Yaşar from Gazete Duvar news website, Fidan Ataselim, the Secretary General of Women Assemblies, briefly said:

"We will never let them lay a finger on İstanbul Convention. We are so enraged that we will not take a step back. They underestimate women a lot.

"We are carrying a banner for a woman that we did not know. Enough is enough. We want to live. Not only do we want to live, but we will live equally.

"First, they said that 'there were laws.' Then, they said, 'Law no. 6284 is not effectively enforced.' They confessed it after Emine Bulut was killed in front of her daughter. They sent circulars to 81 provinces. Minister of Justice, Minister of Interior, Minister of Family... Where are you?

"The solution is clear: You will open and read the İstanbul Convention. Traditions? What traditions? We said, 'You are encouraging men.' But we could not make them listen to us. We don't want a male government. Men! Keep your hands off women's lives!"

İstanbul'da binlerce kadın #pınargültekin için toplandık

İstanbul Sözleşmesi'ni uygulatacak, kadın cinayetlerini durduracağız! #İstanbulSözleşmesiYaşatır pic.twitter.com/e819zd1ThP

— Kadın Cinayetlerini Durduracağız Platformu (@KadinCinayeti) July 21, 2020

Ankara

Upon the call of the Ankara Women's Platform, women came together in front of Çankaya District Municipality in Kızılay.

Reading out a statement for the press on behalf of the platform, Pırıl Kurtdere underlined that "the story of thousands of women was the same" and added, "Men are encouraged by the AKP government, which deprives women of their guarantee of life every day."

Denouncing the recent debates on Turkey's possible withdrawal from the İstanbul Convention, Kurtdere said:

"If the whole life of a woman will be surrounded under the auspices of family, if women will be enclosed behind four walls, if kindergartens and shelters will be closed and İstanbul Convention will be attacked, we - women - do not have the slightest intention to accept it and wait.

"We will defend one another. We do not have any intention of staying silent in the face of government agencies building male dominance amid pandemic and the cooperation between men."

Muğla

In Muğla, where Pınar Gültekin was killed, women came together in Muğla Sınırsızlık Square. Making a statement, Muğla Women's Platform said:

"We are the women who are oppressed by the same unsecured laws while walking on the same streets with Pınar. We are calling out to the judiciary and justice from here: It is a crime against humanity to torture a dead body. We are against violence no matter where it comes.

"The responsible ones for these massacres is everyone who doesn't implement İstanbul Convention, wants to abolish it and stays silent in the face of these massacres. We won't stop until murderers and their supporters are put on trial and penalized. Our rage is alive, we won't stay silent."

While women also came together in Attalos Square in Antalya upon the call of Antalya Women's Platform, they similarly gathered in Mersin upon the call of Mersin Women's Platform. Women also came together in Malatya upon the call of Malatya Democratic Women's Platform. All three of these statements also emphasized the importance of İstanbul Convention. (EKN/SD)

* Source: BirGün, Evrensel, Gazete Duvar, MA