Intervention against 320 peaceful protests in 5 months

* Photo: Evrensel

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The Association for Monitoring Equal Rights (EŞHİD) has released its "Bulletin on Right to Peaceful Meetings and Demonstrations", which covers the five-month period of January-May 2021 in Turkey.

The report shows that at least 320 peaceful meetings and demonstrations were intervened in and at least 2,123 people were detained during these interventions. While the highest number of interventions was reported in İstanbul with 123 interventions, it was followed by Ankara with 56 interventions, by İzmir with 20 and by Diyarbakır with 18 interventions.

In this five-month period, local authorities such as governor's offices and sub-governor's offices restricted the right to hold peaceful meetings and demonstrations with 132 decisions in total. While 107 of these decisions were general, 25 decisions had a specific scope.

According to the EŞHİD report, 114 of these 132 decisions banned peaceful meetings and demonstrations, one decision stipulated permission for them and 17 both imposed a ban and stipulated permission.

The highest number of such decisions taken by local authorities in the first four months of 2021 was in İstanbul with 14 decisions. It was followed by Van province with 12 decisions, by Osmaniye and Hakkari by 10 decisions and by Siirt by 9 decisions of local authorities.

When the justification for these restrictions is considered, it is seen that the pandemic was cited as the reason in 99 percent of the decisions taken by local authorities in the first five months of 2021.

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The EŞHİD report also shares detailed information regarding the related bans and restrictions by month. Some highlights are as follows:

January

34 peaceful meetings and demonstrations were intervened in January. Six of them were against the Boğaziçi University protests and protests about work life. Five interventions targeted the protests in support of hunger strikes and four were against the protests for women's rights. Of the 20 decisions in total taken by local authorities in January, 19 were general, one specific.

February

In February 2021, 67 peaceful meetings and demonstrations were intervened in. 25 of these interventions were against the Boğaziçi University protests, 15 were against the protests about prisons, detention and arrest and eight were against the protests about work life. Of the 31 decisions taken by local authorities, 27 were general and four were specific.

March

67 peaceful meetings and demonstrations were intervened in March. While 20 interventions targeted the protests for women's rights, 11 were against the March 8 Women's Day protests and nine were against the protests about work life. Meetings and demonstrations were restricted by 30 decisions in total taken by local authorities; while 22 were general, eight were specific.

Among the peaceful meetings and demonstrations banned by governor's offices were the Newroz celebrations to be in Aydın, Dersim, Mardin and Osmaniye provinces. Mardin Derik District Sub-Governor's Office cited the HDP closure case as a reason for the ban.

April

In April, 82 peaceful meetings and demonstrations were intervened. While 18 of these interventions targeted 1st of May celebrations, 16 were against the protests about work life and 10 were against the protests questioning the fate and whereabouts of the 'missing' Central Bank reserves, asking, "Where is 128 billion dollars?" In April, peaceful meetings and demonstrations were restricted by 24 general and five specific decisions taken by local authorities.

May

In May, 70 peaceful meetings and demonstrations were intervened. While 26 interventions targeted the 1st of May events and protests, five were against the protests about rights violations in Palestine, four were against the protests about work life and four targeted the protests for environmental rights. In May, peaceful meetings and demonstrations were restricted by 15 general and seven specific decisions taken by local authorities.

Events, meetings and demonstrations for the 1st of May were intervened in several provinces of Turkey. According to the statements of the Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) and Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV), 354 people were detained and 256 people detained in İstanbul were fined as part of the 1st of May celebrations, meetings and protests. (KÖ/SD)