Intensified police operations on Monday, following the Newroz celebrations on Sunday, led to the detention of numerous individuals, including minors, across several Turkish cities. The operations involved coordinated raids by soldiers and police, with a noted possibility of additional arrests.
The backdrop to these raids was a series of Newroz festivities, marred by numerous accounts of unprovoked police hostility directed at both participants and journalists, thus overshadowing the celebratory events organised to mark the Kurdish new year.
İstanbul Newroz kutlamasının ardından alandan ayrılan kitleye polis müdahale etti. Çok sayıda kişi işkenceyle, yerlerde sürüklenerek gözaltına alındı. pic.twitter.com/qXLoKmuZox
— Eylem Nazlıer (@eylemnazlier) March 17, 2024
The celebrations, supported by entities such as the Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK), the Free Women’s Movement (TJA) and the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, saw vibrant displays of banners with the slogan ‘It’s Time for Freedom’ and attendees in traditional attire. Some outfits, however, were deemed ‘guerrilla garb’ by Turkish police, leading to either entry denials or detentions. Despite initial police interference, the celebrations proceeded with the lighting of the Newroz fire, a symbol of struggle and resistance.
#Newroz kutlamalarının yapıldığı Yenikapı'da polis adeta geleneksel kıyafet avına çıktı. Şalvar giyen kim varsa hedef oldu. Bu keyfi ve faşizan uygulama nedeniyle bir çocuk pantolonunu uluorta çıkarmak zorunda kaldı.#Newroz2024 pic.twitter.com/76OFiHEme2
— Zeynep Kuray (@zeynokuray) March 17, 2024
On Sunday, in cities including Şırnak (Şirnex), İzmir and Batman (Elih), authorities conducted a number of house raids, resulting in several detentions. In Şırnak alone, seven individuals were taken into custody during early morning operations without clear justifications being provided. In İzmir, 26 individuals were arrested, including two minors and a local co-chair of the DEM Party, following the Newroz celebrations. In Batman, five individuals were detained on allegations of “making propaganda for a terrorist organisation.”
These detentions appear to be part of a broader crackdown following the Newroz festivities, with the presence of plainclothes officers and particularly aggressive police behaviour in Istanbul targeting dispersing attendees and intimidating journalists. Approximately 50 individuals, including AFP video journalist Eylül Deniz Yaşar, were detained by the police. The detainees, many arrested on account of attire, were held in handcuffs for 14 hours before being released.
Polisten gazeteci @eyluldenizjourn'a:
Sizi Yahudiler gibi sabun yapmadığımıza dua edin!İstanbul'da Newroz kutlamaları sırasında gözaltına alınan @AFP İstanbul video muhabiri Eylül Deniz Yaşar, polis tarafından fiziksel ve sözlü saldırılara uğradığını aktardı.
Gazeteci Yaşar,… pic.twitter.com/Hcjs6IV4Np
— MLSA (@mlsaturkey) March 18, 2024
Eylül Deniz Yaşar reported experiencing physical and verbal assaults while in police custody, including a particularly shocking statement from the police: “You should pray we don’t turn you into soap like the Jews!” After around six hours of detention, Yaşar was released following a medical examination and shared her harrowing experiences with the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), underscoring the severity of the threats and mistreatment she faced.
The escalation in police activity raises serious concern over the right to peaceful assembly and press freedom in Turkey. Surveillance by law enforcement during the Newroz festivities, an event of immense cultural significance, underscores ongoing tensions and provocations by Turkish police towards both the cultural and routine activities of the Kurdish community. A recent incident in which police fired unprovoked into the air at a Kurdish street wedding, recorded and shamelessly shared on TikTok by a special operations unit officer, exemplifies this.
Film sahnesi değildir! pic.twitter.com/rInfmivEJJ
— Mahabat Jade Rose Anter (@Mahabadanter) March 11, 2024
The incidents in Istanbul, showcasing police assaults on attendees and the intimidation of journalists, further highlight the challenges faced by those seeking to exercise freedom of expression and their right to freedom of assembly, reflecting broader concerns over civil liberties in the country.
