MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Amed- On October 9, 2023, Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Deputy Co-chair Zekiye İlbasan was beaten and detained during a protest in Amed (Diyarbakır) on the anniversary of the international conspiracy against Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. Then, the Diyarbakır Criminal Court of Peace issued her pre-trial detention on charges of “preventing police officers from performing their duties”.

‘I was subjected to strip search’

Zekiye İlbasan sent a note from prison through her lawyers. Her note said, “I was transferred to the prison. In prison, I was subjected to strip search. When I reacted, I was told, ‘We do this to everyone’. Then, I was told that I would be held in a ward with regular criminals. I was held in a room after refusing to be held with regular criminals. If they try to hold me in a ward with regular criminals, I will start a hunger strike. I was charged with ‘preventing police officers from performing their duties’ after I filed a criminal complaint against the police officers.”

The Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Women Council released a written statement regarding the strip search against Zekiye İlbasan. The statement said:

“The patriarchal and sexist power uses strip searches and many other forms of torture as a tool to intimidate our friends as expression of its hostility towards Kurds and women. The determined Kurdish women have never taken a step back against the oppression and intimidation policies of sovereign states and we will never take a step back from our struggle. We do not accept strip searches against prisoners.”