NGOs Condemn Police Violence against Students

The Turkey Union of Chambers of Architects and Engineers (TMMOB) condemned the police violence against students in a recent demonstration in Istanbul as "disproportional force". The students had protested the Higher Education Council (YÖK) when Prime Minister Erdoğan had a meeting with university rectors on 4 December.

"There are no bludgeons here and there is no tear gas either. The media is not interested since there is no clash here", said Tores Dinçöz, Secretary-General of the TMMOB Istanbul Provincial Coordination Board, at the beginning of a meeting organized by the TMMOB Chamber of Architects Istanbul Metropolitan Branch on 9 December.

Dinçöz criticized the following points:

* None of the rectors reacted to this fascist-like attack on the students. This showed that not a single step will be taken to change the order of the military coup on 12 September 1980 and of YÖK. The students request the autonomy of universities and a democratic and scientific education by removing the oppressive policies imposed by YÖK for 29 years. Nobody can say that the attack on these students was done in the name of "democracy".

* The struggle against YÖK that started after the 12 September coup has turned back into beating, tear gas interventions and harassment against our students, against our future engineers, architects and city planners, bureaucrats, lawyers and doctors.

* The political power that supposedly created a land of freedoms attacked the students with police forces before they entered the city. These students wanted to use their right to propaganda and thought there was freedom of thought. This attack is against human rights. The government sees the universities as a market place. It has to get away from this idea and should stop attacking students.

* We support the students' demands of freedom of thought, autonomy and democratic and scientific education and we strongly condemn the people who created this situation. We want the attacks to end.

Women physicians criticize police and support students

The Women Physicians and Women Health Branch of the Turkish Medical Association (TBB) criticized the incident in a written statement, especially condemning the police for kicking a female student who lost her unborn baby as a result. "The killing of the baby by kicking also killed a part of us as woman physicians", they declared.

They described the police intervention as "an inordinate behaviour estranged from humanity".

"Inhumane torture"

"Inhumane torture" was the term used by the Human Rights Foundation (İHD) regarding the incident. İHD representative Ahmet Taner made an announcement on behalf of his organization and the youth members of the Socialist Democracy Party (SDP). "The only thing the students intended to do is making their voices heard, but the answer they got was torture".

The Commission against Torture of the İHD Istanbul Branch said that they "tortured the students by spraying tear gas at them as if they were poisoning insects".

Members of the SDP and the İHD posted a banner reading "Human dignity will overcome torture". (BT/EÖ/VK)