Left Party executives briefly detained in Artvin over İstanbul Convention banner

"İstanbul Convention is ours; the decrees of one man are null and void" (by BirGün)

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Borçka District Chair of the Left Party Ömer Çatan and Left Party Artvin Provincial Chair Sercan Dede were taken into custody over the banners slamming Turkey's withdrawal from İstanbul Convention.

After the related procedures were completed at the security directorate, both Dede and Çatan have been released from detention.

Banner taken down in Hopa

The banner which condemns Turkey's withdrawal from the convention by a Presidential decision was first hung on the facade of the Hopa District Office of the Left Party in the Black Sea province of Artvin.

As reported by daily BirGün, the Left Party Hopa District Office was called by the security directorate and requested to take down the banner. As it was not done, the banner was taken down by the police.

Then, another banner was hung on the facade of the party's Hopa Office; this time, the banner had a purple question mark.

"We don't give up on İstanbul Convention; we don't recognize the decree of one man" (by BirGün)

Borçka Chair taken into custody

The banner taken down by the police in Hopa district was then hung on the Left Party's Borçka District Office in the same province.

In response to this, Ömer Çatan, the Chair of the Left Party Borçka District Office, was called by the gendarmerie officers at night and asked to take down the banner. As the gendarmerie's request was rejected, Ömer Çatan was taken into custody from his house and brought to the gendarmerie station to give his statement about the incident.

Meanwhile, the Borçka Office of the Left Party made a statement sharing details about the issue. "An investigation has been launched against our district chair on charge of provoking the public to hatred and hostility; he has been released after giving his statement," the office said.

"We would like to declare to the public that we will not recognize the one man's decree despite all pressure and intimidation policies and we will not give up on the İstanbul Convention," the office added.

Artvin Chair detained as well

Following these developments in Hopa and Borçka districts in Artvin, a banner was hung on the facade of the Left Party's Provincial Office in Artvin yesterday (April 8). The banner read, "İstanbul Convention is ours; the decrees of the one man are null and void."

In a statement shared on his Twitter account, Left Party Artvin Provincial Chair Sercan Dede announced that he was taken into custody by plain-clothes police officers over the banner.

Dede has been released from detention after giving his statement. (EKN/SD)