Women who gathered in several cities of Turkey on 25 November, the Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women, faced police blockades and resistance. During the protests in Istanbul, 200 women were beaten and detained. One woman suffered a broken leg due to police brutality.
The Jin, Jîyan, Azadî slogan was at the centre of the demonstrations. Women in Turkey saluted the women’s revolt that has been going on for more than two months in Iran and condemned Turkey’s military attacks against North and East Syria.
The 25 November Women’s Platform made a call to Taksim, Istanbul, for the Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women, as it does every year. However, the Beyoğlu District Governorate had decided to ban the protest due to be held in Taksim.
With the call of the Women’s Platform, which emphasised that the ban by the district governor’s office was unlawful, women who wanted to go to the demonstration area were blocked by the police. About 200 women were detained as they were handcuffed behind their backs, which Turkish law stipulates should not be done without reason or for prolonged periods. Police broke the leg of Dilbent Türker, director of the All Automotive Metal Workers Union (TOMİS).
The detained groups were released in the early hours of Saturday morning.
In the press release that took place in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, women condemned the “war policies of male and state violence”. The police tried to prevent the shouting of Kurdish slogans.
A banner reading “From Afghanistan to Iran, from Iran to Kurdistan, from Kurdistan to Turkey, the feminist fire will not go out” was not allowed to be taken to the demonstration area in Ankara by the police.
A total of seven women, who were detained in connection with the banner are still being held in Ankara Police Department at the time of writing.
Women were also on the streets in Turkey’s Kurdish cities, despite the police also attempting to block the demonstrations.
In Diyarbakır, women read the solidarity letter sent from prison by Şebnem Korur Fincancı, who was arrested for saying that Turkey’s alleged use of chemical weapons against Kurdish fighters in its cross-border operations should be investigated.
