A number of the Saturday Mothers, a group of women demanding justice for missing relatives, were once again detained during their 28th anniversary protest in İstanbul’s Galatasaray Square on Saturday, in a recurring pattern of repression.
Despite a previous ruling by the Constitutional Court acknowledging the violation of their right to protest, law enforcement authorities persisted in obstructing their gathering.
Since 1995, the Saturday Mothers have conducted sit-in protests in Galatasaray Square, tirelessly seeking answers about loved ones who disappeared while in custody, and demanding accountability for those responsible. However, week after week, the police have consistently prevented them from reaching the square to peacefully voice their grievances.
A ruling by the Constitutional Court that recognised the ban on sit-in protests in Galatasaray Square as a violation of rights is apparently being disregarded. In response, the Saturday Mothers have altered their approach, opting for making press statements and leaving carnations in the square for the past nine weeks. Even so, their peaceful demonstrations have still been met with unwarranted police aggression and harassment.
During their 28th anniversary protest, the Saturday Mothers, accompanied by human rights defenders, sought to make a statement in Galatasaray Square, but were met with further police obstruction and violence. Despite the court’s directive that their protests should be respected, the police maintained a blockade in the square, stifling their right to assemble.
Trapped behind police barriers, the mothers and their supporters, including prominent figures like the President of the Human Rights Association (İHD), Eren Keskin, and the Chair of the IHD Istanbul Branch, Gülseren Yoleri were detained. Journalists attempting to cover the event also faced obstruction and were denied access to the area.
In defiance of their unjust detention, the group symbolically threw carnations into Galatasaray Square and displayed victory signs as they were transported away in detention vehicles.
