Police Block Entrance to İstiklal Street, Statement Read Out at İHD's Street

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Saturday Mothers/People have confronted police barricade at Galatasaray Square in their 701st week. Not allowing the sit-in protest, the police have closed all road leading to Galatasaray Square with barricades.

A large number of police and anti-riot vehicles have been deployed on the İstiklal Street.

Polis basın mesupları dahil Galatasaray Meydanı'na geçişlere izin vermedi.

Police didn't let anyone including the press into Galatasaray Square.

They gathered in front of rights association's building

The press members and Saturday Mothers/People gathered in front of Human Rights Association (İHD) building on İstiklal Street.

Among those who came in front of the İHD building were Rakel Dink, Arat Dink, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MPs Hüda Kaya, Ahmet Şık, Murat Çepni, Garo Paylan and Republican People's Party (CHP) MPs Ali Şeker, Orhan Satın, Sezgin Tanrıkulu and CHP İstanbul Branch Chair Canan Kaftancıoğlu.

Prevention against silent march towards Galatasaray

* Photo: Elif Ünal, bianet

The mass gathering in front of the İHD started marching towards Galatasaray without chanting slogans and with cloves in their hands and photos of relatives they lost on their chests. However, the law enforcers stopped the group.

The MPs spoke to the authorities but they were told the rally wouldn't be permitted.

The group sat at the exit of the street where the police stopped them.

Rights defenders and relatives of the people who disappeared in custody read out the statement here despite police warning.

After reading out the statement, they ended the sit-in protest and decided to return to the İHD.

They asked about Mehmet Ertak

The statement read out by Maside Ocak read, "We have been looking for our beloved ones who were disappeared in custody for 701 weeks and call officials to account for it. We are at Galatasaray because whereabouts of our missing people haven't been explained and the perpetrators haven't been punished as graves of the missing people have been hidden".

Saturday Mothers/People asked what happened to Mehmet Ertak who were working in a coal mine on August 20, 1982 in Şırnak.

Attack in 700th week

Police intervened in 700th rally of Saturday Mothers/People and detained 47 people by battering them last week.

Making a statement on August 30, Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Ömer Çelik spoke as follows concerning the ban and attack against the demonstration of Saturday Mothers/People:

"We will not allow terrorism propaganda to be carried out by abusing mothers' sufferings and some sort of activities to be engaged in anymore. That area will not be used for such purpose from now on".  (BK/TP/TK)

* Photos: Beyza Kural - bianet