MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Amed – Recently, hundreds of people have been taken into custody and subjected to mistreatment while trying to issue press statements in Northern Kurdistan. About two weeks ago, a group of women gathered in Amed (Diyarbakır) to protest the killing of Nagihan Akarsel; however, they were blockaded and subjected to mistreatment for hours by police and journalists were prevented from taking footage. Lawyer Gulan Kaleli is one of these women, who were battered by police. Filing a criminal complaint against police after being subjected to the police violence, lawyer Gulan Kaleli told NuJINHA that such practices have been recently increasing under the name of security.

“Freedoms are blocked”

Indicating that the meetings, demonstrations and marches have been banned since 2015 by governors although these bans are illegal, Gulan Kaleli pointed out that these bans are arbitrary practices. Emphasizing that the democratic right of citizenship has been restricted by the rules of the state, Gula Kaleli stated that these bans also block freedoms. 

“Bans bring many rights violations with themselves”

“Since 2015, such practices have been intensifying. The bans on the right to protest and the freedom of assembly bring many right violations with themselves. The freedom of the press and the freedom of expression are also blocked because journalists are also prevented from covering protests, demonstrations and marches. In addition, police have recently intervened and surrounded the protesters before they issue their press statements. Such police interventions are a form of torture against people,” Gulan Kaleli told us.

“Resisting women are targeted”

Stating that women are most subjected to detention and mistreatment in police interventions, Gulan Kaleli pointed out that resisting women are targeted and face intimidation. “In this region, women mostly take to the streets to protest bans and inhuman practices. Therefore, the state attacks women the most to intimidate them. The slogan, “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” chanted by women echoes all over the world so the patriarchal system sees the women’s struggle as a threat against it. This system keeps attacking women, who take to the streets by chanting this slogan.”

“There is a system that covers up torture”

Despite the anti-torture laws, police use torture against protesters, Gulan Kaleli said that Torture and violence are a crime humanity. “A right guaranteed by the constitution is violated by the arbitrary police interventions on the ground of security. Recently, police have been surrounding protesters in Diyarbakır. Surrounding people is actually not a security measure but forcibly keeping people waiting. Keeping people waiting for hours is an arbitrary practice and torture. The state is passive to document torture. Prosecutors also remain silent against torture. I think it would not be wrong to say that there is a system trying to cover up torture.”

Gulan Kaleli: Biat etmeyen kadınlar hedef alınıyor - YouTube