A nurse was detained on Jan 25 in İstanbul after participating in a widespread hair braiding protest, launched in response to a video showing a man, identfying as affiliated with the Free Syrian Army (FSA), cutting the braided hair of a deceased woman fighter from the Kurdish-led Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) in northern Syria.
The incident surfaced on social media amid the Syrian interim government forces' offensive targeting the country's Kurdish-controlled areas, which began earlier this month.
The nurse, identified with the initials İ.A., was transferred to her hometown of Kocaeli later the same night.
Gencer Demirkaya, İ.A.’s lawyer, said the charges against his client remain unclear and criticized the detention as unlawful under the current circumstances.
“Police teams went to her residence in İstanbul and conducted a search,” Demirkaya said. “There is no clear information yet about why she was taken in. The case file is very new. As of now, there is no concrete criminal charge or legal basis.”
Desecration of Kurdish woman fighter's body sparks hair braiding campaign on social media
Mistreatment allegations
He noted that he met with İ.A. during the interrogation process both the night of her detention and the following day. According to Demirkaya, she reported no mistreatment in custody, though she appeared emotionally distressed. “We tried to boost her morale,” he added.
Demirkaya believes the detention was linked to a video İ.A. shared in which she braided her hair in solidarity with the YPJ fighter.
“As a lawyer, I can say that this is clearly a matter of freedom of expression,” he said. “To classify this act as terrorist propaganda under the Anti-Terror Law would be a legal absurdity. Such an assessment cannot be substantiated by law. This is an arbitrary move.
“I believe she will be released. But it’s difficult to predict what higher authorities intend to do. Unfortunately, we witness arbitrary and unlawful practices frequently in this country. People are detained even without any clear justification.
"In this case, they could have simply taken her statement instead of keeping her overnight in custody. She may be referred to court, or released by the police. That decision is entirely discretionary.”
Online abuse
İ.A. became the target of online racist and sexist abuse shortly after posting the video on her social media account.
The Kocaeli Provincial Health Directorate announced on Jan 25 that both judicial and administrative investigations had been launched against her,, claiming her post violated the Civil Servants Law and the Ethical Principles for Public Officials.
The Women’s Assembly of the Health and Social Service Workers’ Union (SES) issued a statement condemning the detention.
“In Rojava, where groups such as HTS and ISIS have waged war through violence against Kurdish, Yazidi, Alevi, and Druze women, the global hair braiding protest emerged after a woman was brutally murdered and her braided hair was publicly displayed,” the statement read. “This act is not a crime but an expression of women’s solidarity against war, militarism, and exploitation.”
The union denounced what it described as a “witch hunt” targeting women healthcare workers who posted hair braiding videos in protest of the killings in Syria.
“Targeting health workers in Kocaeli and other areas through these posts and launching unwarranted investigations is nothing more than state patriarchy in action.
“The Kocaeli Provincial Health Directorate must immediately withdraw its administrative investigation. Our colleague’s act was neither a crime nor unethical—it was a conscientious and legitimate form of passive resistance. We stand with her. Jin jiyan azadi—Women, Life, Freedom.” (TY/VK)
