Five Kurdish youths detained on Sunday for resisting police efforts to prevent Kurdish music being played in a park in Istanbul’s Kadikoy district, were released on Monday evening under judicial supervision. Their families greeted the young men with songs and slogans.
The five detainees had been referred to court by a prosecutor’s office on charges of “resisting the police”.
After release on Monday, one of the young men told Duvar that he had been subjected to physical assault in the police vehicle and had pepper spray aimed at his eyes at the police station.
The young man also recalled that officers were present during the routine medical examinations and asserted that they were unable to obtain a medical report due to threats and intimidation.
The incident on Sunday occurred in Moda Park, where the young Kurdish men were enjoying Kurdish music and dancing a traditional halay -a popular folk dance- before police confiscated their loudspeakers.
As tensions escalated between the youths and the police, an officer fired shots into the air, causing the small group to flee. Subsequently, the police chased and apprehended the young men. Citizens in the neighbourhood expressed fury with the police during the incident.
Later, footage emerged that showed the police forcing the detained young Kurds to listen to an Ottoman military march, Mehter Anthem, while face down on the ground in handcuffs. The video sparked outrage across social media platforms: Turkish law stipulates that reverse handcuffing must not happen without due cause nor for prolonged periods.
Turkey’s Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) released a statement on the issue. The pro- Kurdish party said, “Your hostility towards Kurds and your fascism will be your downfall. We will not allow this mentality to prevail!”
