Istanbul police wrongfully detained Kurdish activists: HRW
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Istanbul police wrongfully detained activists and mistreated them and their lawyers during a July 20, 2023 commemoration of the victims of an ISIS suicide bombing in the Kurdish town of Suruc in 2015 that killed 33 young socialist activists, according to a report by Human Rights Watch on Thursday.
The police arbitrarily arrested and abused a group of about 45 demonstrators who were handing out fliers in advance of the protest, then assaulted and detained protesters on the day of the demonstration, resulting in the detention of another 154 people.
On both days, the police "kettled" the protesters, herding them into an enclosed space and using excessive force to prevent them from dispersing. Police officers later restricted lawyers' access to their clients for hours at the police station, verbally and physically abusing the lawyers.
"Turkey's authorities should promptly and thoroughly investigate the Istanbul police's allegedly abusive and unlawful conduct toward activists and lawyers involved in the Suruç bombing commemoration," said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
"Demonstrators have a right to protest peacefully without being attacked by the police, and those detained have a right to promptly see their lawyers without mistreatment."
The police first violently intervened on July 17 when 45 activists gathered to distribute leaflets on a main street in Istanbul's Kadıköy district to announce the July 20 Suruc commemoration. A large number of police officers surrounded the group and arrested them.
"The Istanbul police seem to have ignored all rules and regulations governing arrest and detention, endangering the people in custody as well as their lawyers," Williamson said. "The Turkish authorities need to investigate this incident and take appropriate measures against those responsible for abuse."
On July 20, 2015, a tragic event unfolded in Suruc, a border town in southern Turkey situated across from the Kurdish city of Kobani.
An ISIS suicide attack targeted a group of Kurdish and Turkish leftist activists who were in Suruc, near Turkey's border with Syria. This devastating attack resulted in the loss of 33 lives and left over 100 young individuals wounded.
They were preparing to travel to the war-ravaged Syrian-Kurdish town of Kobani to contribute to its reconstruction efforts. Kobani had suffered extensive destruction during months of intense fighting between ISIS and the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), with the latter receiving support from coalition warplanes.