Istanbul’s Galatasaray Square witnessed yet another round of detentions as the Saturday Mothers and activists continued their 957th week of sit-in protests, demanding justice. Both demonstrators and journalists covering the event were thwarted as authorities dispersed the gathering.
During the protest, access to Galatasaray Square via Istiklal Street was completely blocked, and police vehicles were deployed, leading to the detention of at least 47 individuals.
Seeking answers about the fate of their loved ones who disappeared while in custody and holding the responsible parties accountable are the core demands of the Saturday Mothers. However, for the past 17 weeks, the Turkish authorities have continuously hindered their access to Galatasaray Square, disregarding a previous Constitutional Court ruling which confirmed that police crackdown was a violation of their rights to peaceful demonstration.
The group expressed their reaction to repeated detentions on their Twitter account and through press statements made in various cities across Turkey. They said they would persist in their fight until the blockade on Galatasaray Square is lifted.
Elsewhere in the country, the İHD (Human Rights Association) of Diyarbakır (Amed) and the families of the disappeared have continued their struggle with the slogan “Let the missing be found, let the perpetrators be prosecuted.” During Saturday’s protest, they demanded justice for Cavit Özalp, whose lifeless body was left in a bag in his village after being detained in 1995.
Similarly, İzmir İHD has urged authorities to bring to justice the perpetrators responsible for the disappearance of Özgür Gündem newspaper reporter Ferhat Tepe. The fate of Tepe, who vanished after being detained on 28 July 1993 in Bedlis, remains unknown.
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