Teachers Protesting Discharges Arrested Again

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Teachers Nursel Tanrıverdi and Selvi Polat, who had been discharged as per a Statutory Decree, were arrested yesterday (October 30).

Two teachers were taken into custody while making a statement for the press in the 86th week of their protests on October 29.

Tanrıverdi and Polat, who staged sit-in protests at the Bakırköy Square in İstanbul with the demand that they be reinstated to their jobs, were detained before during a statement for the press. The teachers, who were arrested on charge of "violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations", were released from prison after two weeks.

What happened?

* The 73rd week of our resistance; we resist for our job, bread and honor

Teachers Nursel Tanrıverdi and Selvi Polat, who were discharged by a Statutory Decree, have been staging protests with the slogan "We want our job" at the Bakırköy Square in İstanbul on every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday since January 20, 2017. Since the day when they started their protests, they have been taken into custody for many times.

In the 74th week of their protests, the teachers were detained again. Though they were released on probation after being taken into custody, in the verdict of the court, there was a sentence, stating that Tanrıverdi and Polat were banned from approaching the square more than 200 meters.

The teachers stated that they would not recognize the ban and attempted to make a statement for the press at the Bakırköy Square on August 13, 2018. During the statement, the teachers were taken into custody again and an international travel ban was imposed on them.

After Tanrıverdi and Polat tried to make another statement for the press, they were arrested on August 21, 2018. Teachers were released on September 6 after being arrested for almost two weeks. (AS/SD)