71st Day of Hunger Strike Starts with Police Intervention

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Police have attacked those who were keeping watch in front of the Human Rights Monument on Yüksel Street in Ankara for academic Nuriye Gülmen and teacher Semih Özakça, who have been on hunger strike for 71 days demanding that they be reinstated to their jobs.

The flowers were again removed in the police attack carried out this morning (May 18).

Polis çiçekleri ateşe attı. pic.twitter.com/0sSGgzdJnL

— VeliSaçılık (@velisacilik) 18 Mayıs 2017

Attorney Zehra Özdemir said that the police burned the banners and took away the bucket in which the protesters build fire to get warm.

Kova gözaltında.

— Zehra (@ZeyraCan) 17 Mayıs 2017

Five people including Semih Özakça’s wife Esra Özakça and Veli Saçılık, who was also discharged through statutory decree, were taken into custody.

Esra Özakça said that they were battered in the police station.

Today is the 191st day of Gülmen and Özakça’s protest and 71st day of their hunger strike. Today, fifth of the police intervention that began on the 65th day took place. The watch continued after the detentions. (AS/TK)

* Photos: Acun Karadağ, Esra Özakça / Twitter