In an episode of recurring suppression, weekly demonstrations led by the Saturday Mothers, a group of women advocating for justice for their missing relatives, have been marred by police obstruction and arrest of protesters at Galatasaray Square in Istanbul’s Taksim district.
Turkish law enforcement authorities have persistently obstructed and detained the Saturday Mothers for an uninterrupted span of eleven weeks, latterly disregarding a ruling by the country’s Constitutional Court which acknowledged the violation of the group’s fundamental right to protest.
Undeterred by the persistent challenges they face, the group, which demonstrates on a weekly basis, expressed their unwavering resolve in a press statement delivered at the premises of Turkey’s Human Rights Association, after this week’s demonstration was blocked.
“We shall persevere in our quest for the truth surrounding the disappearance of our loved ones, and we shall persist in our weekly protests in Galatasaray Square,” the Saturday Mothers declared.
The peaceful protest in Taksim witnessed not only the arrest of several demonstrators but also the use of force against journalists covering the event and pro-Kurdish Green Left Party MPs supporting the Saturday Mothers.
The Saturday Mothers have faithfully staged sit-in protests at Galatasaray Square since 1995, a total of 957 times to date, seeking answers regarding their missing family members who disappeared in state custody.
A ruling by the Constitutional Court that recognised the ban on sit-in protests as a violation of rights is apparently being disregarded.
