Turkey: BBC shows world the attack on Saturday Mothers

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Saturday Mothers to stage sit-in for the 700th time this week

To mark the anniversary of the longest ongoing action in Turkey, relatives of the disappeared people have called on social media users to join them

The oldest action in Turkey’s history, the Saturday Mothers, reached week 700 this Saturday.

For 700 times the Saturday Mothers have been asking for justice and truth about the fate of their relatives, who disappeared while in state forces custody.

Saturday, to mark sit-in number 700 in Galatasaray Square in Istanbul the Saturday Mothers have made a call to people to join them.

Those who cannot join the protest in person, can support the Saturday Mothers on social media by sharing messages with the hashtag #BeniBulAnne.

Thousands of social media users have already gave their support to the call.

Artist Ceylan Ertem have performed together with the relatives of the disappeared people, the song written by Ahmet Kaya for the Mothers, years ago, “Beni Bul Anne” (“Find me, mother”).

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At least 47 detained in police crackdown against Saturday Mothers

Dozens have been taken into custody after police attacked Saturday Mothers and human rights defenders seeking justice in Istanbul

At least 47 people have been detained during the police attack on the 700th gathering of Saturday Mothers who have been staging sit-in in Istanbul’s central Galatasaray Square every Saturday, asking to learn about the aftermath of their relatives disappeared by state forces under custody and demanding justice for them.

Those detained in the crackdown have been taken to the Vatan Security Directorate. Names of 27 of the detainees, who include Yeni Yaşam newspaper Editor In Chief Osman Akin and employee Hasan Akbaba, are as follows;

Leman Yurtsever, Maside Ocak, Besna Tosun, Sebla Arcan, Faruk Eren, Cihan Aktaş, Ali Ocak, Hasan Karakoç, Gamze Elvan, Özge Elvan, Cihan Gülünay, Kenan Yıldız, Ruşa Sabur, Fecri Çalboğa, Cüneyt Yılmaz, Jiyan Tosun, Lezgin Özalp, Levent Gökçek, Özer Oymak, Sinan Tekdemir, Süleyman Benli, Koray Kesik, Sinan Arslan, Osman Akın, Hasan Akbaba, Deniz Koç, Volkan Uyar.

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Many have been tortured, including mothers

The AKP regime has attacked the 700th gathering of the Saturday Mothers. Dozens were detained but the crowd resisted for hours under attack. IHD announced that attendants were tortured, including the mothers. The demonstration has concluded for the week

The police attacked te 700th gathering of the Saturday Mothers in the Galatasaray Square with rubber bullets and tear gas. Over 50 people have been detained as the crowd refused to leave the square for over 3 hours. Saturday Mothers announced that they will continue next week and ended the demonstration.

KAYA: THEY DID WHAT BEFITS THEM

HDP Istanbul MP Huda Kaya was among the people who were attacked and said: “For hours, we have been under constant attack. They still haven’t been able to disperse the crowd. Like every week, we were to read the statement and go, but they couldn’t tolerate that. They did what befits them, and we will do what befits us. We didn’t disperse, we waited. We felt the Gezi spirit. We demanded the release of detainees. We are here.”

ORDERS BY SOYLU

The MPs were also targeted by rubber bullets, while the Ahmet Kaya song “Mother, Find Me” was played throughout the Istiklal Avenue from early hours when the crowd started to gather. The police surrounded the Galatasaray Square with 12 buses and several water cannons. CHP Istanbul MP Sezgin Tanrikulu announced that the attack orders were given by Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.

MANY HAVE BEEN TORTURED, INCLUDING MOTHERS

IHD Istanbul Chapter issued a written statement on the matter and said:

“By 10:30 in the morning, the security forces started to intervene and use tear gas, people were reverse handcuffed, battered and detained. All entrances to the square were cut off and the area was evacuated. The intervention and detentions continue in back streets. The detainees are being held in police vehicles. Reports say IHD Istanbul Chapter’s Commission Against Disappearances Under Custody Members Sebla Arcan, Maside Ocak and Gamze Elvan, Chapter Secretary Leman Yurtsever, relatives of the disappeared Ali Ocak, Faruk Eren, Hasan Karakoç and Cihan Gülünay as well as many human rights defenders have been detained.

Security forces have illegally intervened with the 700th week demonstration of the Saturday Mothers and tortured people. Many attendees have been tortured, including the mothers and other relatives of the disappeared. We are calling on the Interior Minister: Release IHD Istanbul administrators and members and the activists at once. Launch investigations against the security forces who committed crimes.”

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Turkey police fire tear gas at mothers' protest

Click on photo to enlarge


Above veteran protester Emine Ocak, aged in her 80s, is detained by police

Police in the Turkish city of Istanbul have forcefully broken up a regular protest by mothers remembering relatives who disappeared during violence in the 1990s.

Officers used water cannon and tear gas and detained about 50 people, including veteran protester Emine Ocak, said to be in her 80s.

The group, called the Saturday Mothers, have met in central Istanbul since 1995 and this was to be their 700th protest.

Rights groups condemned the crackdown.

It was "shameful, cruel treatment of families seeking justice for state crimes", said Emma Sinclair-Webb from Human Rights Watch.

The sit-in was banned by the authorities because it had been publicised on social media accounts linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a local government statement said.

The PKK launched an armed struggle against the Turkish government in 1984, calling for an independent Kurdish state within Turkey. Tens of thousands of people have been killed since it began. The Turkish government considers the PKK a terrorist group.

All of those detained - including Ms Ocak, whose son Hasan disappeared after being detained in 1995 - were released after giving statements to the police, Turkish lawyer Efkan Bolac said.

The disappearances that are the subject of the protests took place during the height of the PKK insurgency.

Activists say the Turkish state has never investigated what happened to those who disappeared after being detained.

The Saturday Mothers' sit-ins are said to have taken inspiration from the Plaza de Mayo, a group of Argentine mothers who demonstrated after their children disappeared during Argentina's military dictatorship.

Police prevented them from holding their sit-ins for a decade between 1999 and 2009 but this is the first time in recent years that police have intervened.

Social media users have been sharing a photograph from 1997 which also showed Ms Ocak being detained.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-45311134

The PKK launched an armed struggle against the Turkish government in 1984, calling for an independent Kurdish state within Turkey. Tens of thousands of people have been killed since it began. The Turkish government considers the PKK a terrorist group.

Long before anyone had ever heard of the PKK, Kurds were being SLAUGHTERED by the Turkish regime

REMEMBER DERSIM

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Maside Ocak: 700 weeks have passed, my hope has not faded

Among the scores of Saturday Mothers and friends taken into custody on Saturday, for the 700th gathering to demand justice and truth for the disappeared people, were Maside Ocak and her mother, Emine.

Emine Ocak is one of the two mothers who started the Saturday Mothers action, back in 1995.

Her son, Hasan, disappeared in Istanbul after being taken into custody by police.

Hasan’ sister, Maside Ocak, who was released later on Saturday night, shared what she has lived in her social media account.

She writes:

"I know you all were very worried.

I do not know what to write about today.

The summary of the day for me:

My mother at the age of 82 was being pushed and confronted by police shields, her arms in bruises,

We were dragged to the detention vehicle, I saw the brutal beating of my nephew Adilcan but I couldn’t leave my mother and run to him,

They were bending the arm of Gamze Elvan to break it,

Plain clothes police ordered that the old woman would not be put into the detention vehicle,

My mom said: “You took my children, take me too", and she was expelled from the vehicle she tried to get on,

We were kept in the vehicle in plastic handcuffs for hours...

Hayri Tunç today has caught on camera the same picture of my mother drifted away from Galatasaray Square that Ahmet Şık had taken in 1997. Nothing changed from then to now. We were detained in 1997, two generations of us, today it is three generation to be taken into custody.

When I came home and turned on the computer, I saw beautiful people fend off the violence inflicted on my dear brother Arat, and people keep saying 'We are here, mother, you are not alone’ to the Saturday Mothers for hours after we were detained.

I have one last thing to say;

700 weeks have passed - hope has not faded