Early this morning (March 16th) an operation was launched by police under the order of Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in which several women activists were detained.
Former Sur Municipality Co-Mayor Filiz Buluttekin (who was replaced with a government-appointed trustee) and Rosa Women’s Association President Adalet Kaya are among the 14 women who were detained, according to Jin News.
Houses were raided as part of an ongoing investigation launched in 2021 but the reason for the detention is still unknown. However, it has been claimed that women were detained due to 8 March activities. The timing of the activist’s detention has drawn attention since it happened just before the upcoming mass Newroz celebrations in Diyarbakır.
Jin News reported that there was a detention order for 24 people. The women activist’s access to a lawyer was restricted for 24 hours.
“Against the enthusiasm of 8 March”
People’s Democratic Party (HDP) Women Commission condemned the operation from its official Twitter account with the following words.
Rosa Kadın Derneği Başkanı Adalet Kaya, TJA aktivisti Zekiye Güler, Sur Belediye Eşbaşkanımız, Yenişehir İlçe Eşbaşkanımız, SES, TÜMBELSEN, Eğitim Sen yöneticisi kadınlar, gözaltına alındı. Bu operasyon 8 Mart coşkusuna tahammülsüzlüktür. Baskılarınızla mücadelemiz engellenemez! pic.twitter.com/IaEptPfobU
— HDP Kadın (@HDPkadin) March 16, 2022
“Rosa Women’s Association President Adalet Kaya, TJA activist Zekiye Güler, Sur Municipality Co-Mayor, Yenişehir District Co-Mayor, executive women from SES, TÜMBELSEN, Eğitim Sen were detained. This operation displays intolerance to the enthusiasm of March 8th. Your oppression cannot prevent our struggles!”
Among the detained activists, the name of some women are as follows:
Rosa Women’s Association Chair Adalet Kaya, board member Nevin Oyman and member Fatma Gültekin, the Free Women’s Movement (TJA) activist Zekiye Güler, HDP Yenişehir District Co-Chair Remziye Sızıcı, TÜÖ BEL-SEN Union Chair Nihal Yanık, Eğitim Sen Union No. 1 Education Secretary HAtice Efe, BTS Women’s Secretary Bahar Uluğ, Sakine Karadeniz and Birsen Güneş
