Police Attack Saturday Mothers with Plastic Bullet

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Police attacked as per Ministry of Interior's order those who rallied for 700th time at Galatasaray Square on Saturday (August 25) for their relatives and acquaintances who were disappeared in custody.

Police attacked many spots where mothers and their acquintances with pepper gas and plastic bullets, battered MPs and detained a large number of rights defenders and relatives of those disappeared in custody in Beyoğlu, İstanbul.

Names of the detained rights defenders that could be reached are as follows:

Leman Yurtsever, Maside Ocak, Besna Tosun, Sebla Arcan, Faruk Eren, Cihan Aktaş, Alican Ocak, Hasan Karakoç, Gamze Elvan, Özge Elvan, Cihan Gülünay, Kenan Yıldız, Ruşa Sabur, Fecri Çalboğa, Cüneyt Yılmaz, Juyan Tosun, Lezgin Özalp, Levent Gökçek, Özer Oymak, Sinan Tekdemir, Sülayman Benli, Koray Kesik, Sinan Arslan, Osman Akın, Hasan Akbaba, Deniz Koç, Volkan Uyar, Rober Koptaş, Koray Çağlayan, Ali Yiğit Karaca, Doğa Kıroğlu, Sinan Arslan, Murat Akbaş, Mehmet Güner, Cafer Balcı. 

Human Rights Association (İHD) Co-Chair lawyer Eren Kesin tweeted, "The detainees are in police station. We are waiting. They have been subjected to severe violence".

The detainees were released at 8:20 p.m.

Of the Saturday Mothers, Hayrettin Eren's sister İkbal Eren and Cemil Kırkbayır's elder sister Fatma Kırmayır reacted to police attack as seen.

Photo: Gazete Fersude

82-year-old Saturday Mother Emine Ocak, whose son was tortured to death after being detained in 1995 and buried in the Cemetery of the Nameless, was detained by police as seen. Ocak wasn't put into vehicle upon protests.

Police drove people to Hazzapoulo passage at Galatasaray Square. Police detained Faruk Eren, the DİSK Press Labor Chair and an acquintance of one who disappeared in custody.

Police set up barricared around Galatasaray Square. People continue to gather outside of the barricade.

Eren: They say we cannot sit because it's the 700th week

Elder daughter of Hayrettin Eren, who disappeared in custody, said, "They say we cannot sit because it's the 700th week, I'll sit this week and next week as well, we don't sit for their pleasure".

Police also attacked the group in which there were MPs. Police used pepper gas and plastic bullet.

#cumartesianneleri izin yok! Gaz ve plastik mermi atıyoelar pic.twitter.com/s4670ZRdru

— pi (@pinartarcan) 25 Ağustos 2018

The group with MP Hüda Kaya formed a lined in front of TOMA (Riot Control Vehicle). Police dispersed the group by using pepper gas and plastic bullet.

Tanrıkulu: Order was issued personally by Soylu

Main opposition party Republican People's Party (CHP) MP Sezgin Tanrıkulu, who was among the demonstrators, said that he called Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu. Tanrıkulu told journalists that the demonstration was banned as per Soylu's order.

Police attacked journalist Elif Akgül

Basın mensubu bir kadına polis tarafından böyle şiddet uygulandı#CumartesiAnneleri700Hafta pic.twitter.com/YlctT6oPQr

— Yol TV (@YolTV) 25 Ağustos 2018

Police attacked journalist Elif Akgül who was in Beyoğlu to cover the rally. Akgül was battered by police while she trying to make coverage of police violence against Saturday Mothers/People and MPs. (HA/BK/HK/PT/TK)