Police intervention in the Öcalan protest in Istanbul: Numerous detentions

Police intervened in a gathering of people in Kadıköy, Istanbul, on Sunday (October 8), who had come together to protest the isolation imposed on PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan in the prison on Imrali Island. During the intervention, the police surrounded Green Left Party deputies and detained numerous individuals.

The protest was announced to mark the 25th anniversary of the operation that began with Öcalan's expulsion from Syria on October 9, 1998, and ended with his extradition to Turkey.

According to a report from Mezopotamya Agency, the "Freedom March" was planned to be organized under the call of the Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK), the Greens and Left Future Party (Green Left Party), the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), and many civil society organizations and political parties. However, the police did not allow the people to protest and cordoned off most areas in the district.

The police arrested some citizens who were trying to climb the Kadıköy Bull Statue and chant slogans such as "Bijî berwxedana Rojava," "No to occupation, peace now," and "Bijî serok Apo." Some citizens who were sitting in nearby cafes were also arrested with handcuffs.

Among those arrested are HDK Co-Spokesperson Esengül Demir and Barış Anneleri (Peace Mothers) Narenciye Acar and Hanife Gümüş.

Blockade of MPs 

Police surrounded a group that included four Green Left Party deputies. The MPs Burcugül Çubuk, Çiçek Otlu, Cengiz Çiçek, and Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar were among those surrounded.

Çiçek Otlu, the Green Left Party Istanbul Deputy, stated, "Despite all the pressures, we will protest the isolation here. We will struggle here to break the isolation on PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan."

Meanwhile, a bus carrying people from Tekirdağ to Istanbul to participate in the protest was stopped by the police near Kadıköy, and they were not allowed to proceed. (TY/PE)