The police took 13 women with a raid to their homes after identifying them in the demonstrations. The women were all charged with “insulting the President,” a charge which has been levied against tens of thousands of people in the last few years. Any criticism of Erdogan may end one charged with the “insult” crime in Turkey.
Turkish government had to find a reason to detain women who participated in a peaceful Women’s Day rally. So, they charged them with “insulting the president.”
The Women’s Day rally took place in many cities around the country. Most of them were illegal due to the government’s restrictions on gathering due to the ongoing COVID pandemic. However, only a few days prior, the ruling AKP party had convened its party in the same cities, indoors, with no health concerns.
The women, determined to break the government’s restrictions on the opposition, especially on women, took to the streets to celebrate the Women’s Day. In some parts of Istanbul, the police attacked the women even before the gathering, detaining women walking on the streets, fearing that they may stage a demonstration. Turkish police dragged the women by their hair and took them under custody.
The police took 13 women with a raid to their homes after identifying them in the demonstrations. The women were all charged with “insulting the President,” a charge which has been levied against tens of thousands of people in the last few years. Any criticism of Erdogan may end one charged with the “insult” crime in Turkey.
The Turkish government is accusing the women of jumping in the rally while chanting, “Jump, jump, jump, only Erdogan is not jumping!”
The lawyers representing the women were not allowed to talk to their clients.
Sendika.org News (MB)
