Think, think... Freedom of Expression Weekly Bulletin (Issue 25/13, 21 June 2013) What happened last week? (14-21 June 2013)

“Human Hunting in Gezi Park...!” German Greens Party co chair Claudia Roth described what she had seen: “I’m the witness of what happened that night. .... There was a human hunting in Gezi Park!” Today is the 26th day of the Gezi Park resistance where the peaceful protests to protect the trees of Gezi Park has been facing police brutality including teargas bombs, water cannon and rubber bullets. Unfortunately, the police brutality continues incessantly.

The protests in Gezi Park have quickly spread from Istanbul to almost all major cities, parks becoming protest zones. On the other hand, things were getting terrifying as the Prime Minister Erdogan has embracing the police, has provoking his supporters with his speeches and the police was ignoring the group of people with knives and bats in the street of Istanbul and letting them to attack protestors. However, we have never seen a resistance of this big before. This week, a man started a silent standing protest, which has spread quickly to some other places around the world, and got supported.

We have already published the first weeks informations. Below, you will find the summary of

this week and some useful links to reach more informations.

Step by step the summary of the week:

• The Prime Minister Erdogan held rally in Sincan on Saturday 15th of June and said “Evacuate the Gezi Park. If you don’t, the security forces know how to evacuate it.”

• The same night, police fired stormed the park with teargas bombs. TOMA'lar, vücudu yakan kimyasal içerikli su sıkmaya başladı. The police used canon water supplemented with a special kind of chemical burning skin. The children were having fun with their families in the park before the attack. The medical infirmaries were the targets of the attacks and because of the massive gas filling the park, the children got lost and heavily inhaled the gas. The doctors who were trying to intervene urgently the injured people were taken into custody.

• “Unfortunately from now, the state will have to consider whoever is in Taksim as a member of a terrorist organization,” said Egemen Bagis, Turkey EU Minister about the gathering in Taksim on Sunday.

The definition of terrorism according to Law against terrorism (TMK) in Turkey: Any criminal action conducted by one or more persons belonging to an organization with the aim of changing the attributes of the Republic as specified in the Constitution, the political, legal, social, secular or economic system, damaging the indivisible unity of the State with its territory and nation, jeopardizing the existence of the Turkish State and the Republic, enfeebling, destroying or seizing the State authority, eliminating basic rights and freedoms, damaging the internal and external security of the State, the public order or general health by means of pressure, force and violence, terror, intimidation, oppression or threat.

• A group of 30 to 40 people with knives and bats coming from Kasimpasa attacked the protestors dispersed from Taksim to Sishane. The group has welcomed the police with the slogan of “We are the soldiers of Tayyip” and “we will die for the country” the police has replied.

• A tear gas canister hits a 14-year-old boy on his way to bakery. He is still in critical condition.

• The head of Istanbul Bar Association Kocasakal told that the prosecutors were taking the helmets and the goggles for guns in order to arrest people and they still couldn’t reach the 9 missing people.

Legal Data: According to the statement of Istanbul Bar Association; they received 146 missing people complaint, out of which there were 39 women, 105 men. 137 people were found, 9 of them are still missing. 17 thousand people have contacted the Bar Association in Istanbul and have had legal advices. 882 people were arrested and taken into custody. 6 of them are still arrested.    Health Data: According to the Turkish Medical Association the police firing gas and rubber bullets have injured more than ten thousand people since 31 May 2013. Hundreds of people have had serious organ damages as they were hit by tear gas canisters and chemical capsules.  100 people have had head trauma, 59 people are in critical condition with severe injuries,  and 11 people have lost their eye. 4 people are dead as they were directly hit. The number of death caused by indirect exposure to firing remains unknown.

• The Progressive Journalists Association (ÇGD) has declared that being a journalist does

not require to have Yellow Press Card and they condemned the police violence against journalists. “The police must take its hands off journalists”, they said.

• The funeral ceremony of Ethem Sarisuluk who was shot by police during the manifestations in Ankara took place under heavy police presence with firing of tear gas bombs.  

• A decision to Strike… The Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (KESK) and the Confederation of Revolutionary Workers' Unions (DİSK) have gathered to announce a nation wide strike. But, they were not allowed to go to Taksim.  

‘Standing Man’ has surprised even the police    

• While the police were not letting people entering in Gezi Park on 17th June, the performance artist, Erdem Gunduz, changed the face of the protests as he stood silently and motionless facing the Ataturk Cultural Center. Late in the night, people including artist started to join him, and stood still.

• The police detained people who were supporting the protest by standing still. • Among the detained people 2 lawyers, were released and 14 people went to give their

testimonies. It is said that the police has proceeded against the group for allegedly “resisting against police without violence and moving” according to law no. 2911.

Artists have supported the Gezi Park resistance    

• The Turkish pianist Fazıl Say wrote a letter to the German Prime Minister Angela Merkel about the EU membership. The German born Turkish-descended filmmaker Fatih Akın wrote a letter to the president Abdullah Gül asking him to stop the violence.

• Joan Baez greeted the protestors of Gezi Park in Turkish and then sung the Beatles’ song “Imagine” for them.

'Witch-hunt' has begun!

• During their meeting with the President Gul, Taksim Solidarity group was telling that they were worried about a witch-hunt after the demonstrations. And the president Gul was telling that he would not allow such thing. However, the police raided several buildings of Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP), Özgür Radio, Etkin News Agency and Atılım daily newspaper, detaining several people. The Turkish Journalists Union (TGS) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) have condemned the continuous targeting of journalists and media organizations following the police raid on the

residences of journalists working for the daily newspaper Atılım, Özgür Radio and Etkin News Agency.

• UN Human Rights Commisionner Navi Pillay has urged the Turkish government “maximum restraint” and the pursuit of constructive dialogue in order to resolve differences and avoid further violent confrontation.

• The ministry of National Education (MEB) and the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) have started investigations over students and teachers who have participated the demonstrations.

• The Interior Minister, Muammer Güler said that they are working on the social media to do some legal regulations with the help of police forces.

Every Park is Gezi Park!  

• Gezi Park resistance continues every night with forums at various parks of districts of

Istanbul such as Besiktas (Abbasağa Park), Taksim, Cihangir, Kadıköy, Fatih, Maltepe, Göztepe, Maçka and Yeniköy in Istanbul. People are now discussing the transformation of their movement.

To follow the meetings, please click : http://parklarbizim.blogspot.com/ • A group of 30 people attacked the group of almost 60 people gathered for the 3rd forum

organized at Yeniköy Park in support of the Gezi protests.      

Article 34 of the Constitution- Everyone has the right to hold unarmed and peaceful meetings and demonstration marches without any prior permission. Meetings and Demonstration Marches Law Article 3 - Everyone, according to the provisions of this law, has the right to hold unarmed and peaceful meetings and demonstration marches with the guilt free goals as recognized by the law, without any prior permission. PM Erdogan: We will strengthen our police!

• In a weekly AKP group meeting, The Prime Minister Erdogan vowed to strengthen the police to make them easier to deal with unrest.

• Thousands of people came out on the streets in İzmir, Çanakkale, Tunceli, Bursa, Eskişehir and Muğla to protest.

• International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) launched a world wide solidarity action on 21-22 June 2013 to support the Gezi Park resistance.

• 94 protestors including the head and the members of Beşiktaş's well-known supporter club çArşı were referred to prosecutors after being detained in Police Department facing charges of involving in an illegal organization. 20 of them were referred to the court facing charges of organizing violent activities, calling people to illegal demonstrations, resisting against police, among others.

• The Turkish National Police announced that against the Gezi Park 130 thousand teargas shells had been used and they will have to supply almost 100 thousand teargas bobs.  

 “If you come out on to streets, you will have to bear its consequences”

• “They will have to bear the consequence of their action”, said Turkish Interior Minister Muammer Guler about the demonstration of members of The Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (KESK) and the Confederation of Revolutionary Workers' Unions (DİSK). “Our police, our security forces are doing their jobs. If it’s not enough then the gendarmes will do their jobs. If that’s not enough ... we could even use elements of the Turkish Armed Forces”, told Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinç.

 

The unbelievable fake interview of Takvim newspaper  

• A Turkish newspaper Takvim published a fake interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday 18 June. Takvim, a daily Turkish newspaper, splashed the fake interview on its front page. The headline read “Dirty Confession,” and the sub headline continued, "CNN International’s famous anchorwoman Christiane Amanpour spoke to Takvim and admitted 'we did everything for money.” The article contained a note saying that the interview was not real. The online version said that the fake interview of Mevlüt Yüksel with Christiane Amanpour was written to "get back at" CNN for its "lies" on Gezi Park resistance.

And the other issues...

• The pregnant girl scandal, again! The Turkish citizen number of a young girl and a

pregnant woman got mixed up in a private health center in Istanbul. After entering the information about the pregnant patient to Gebliz data record system (The Improvement of Prenatal, Postnatal, Newborn and Preschool Child’s Health Care Services in Istanbul), the health center called the father of the young girl to announce the pregnancy of her daughter. The mother of the girl has fainted, the father kept swearing to her daughter who was just not pregnant. Finally, the truth has been revealed and the young girl filed a lawsuit involving 25 thousand of TL of compensatory damages for emotional distress to Beykoz Civil Court.

Even within the context of the patriarchal system, the women have no control over their bodies, the client confidentiality cannot be revealed according to medical ethical rules. We remind the words of feminists in order to stop the regulations which are not helping to decrease the number of women murders and to suppress the women’s rights: State, take your hands off my body!

We were at IFEX Congress in Phnom Penh Turkey is represented by membership organizations Bianet and Freedom for Freedom of Speech (Düşünce Suçuna(!?) Karşı Girişim) at IFEX’ congress held in Phnom Penh. The question “What’s going on in Turkey” became the main topic in meetings and Erol Önderoglu from Bianet and Şanar Yurdatapan from Freedom for Freedom of Speech (Düşünce Suçuna(!?) Karşı Girişim) were obligated to talk about the ongoing demonstrations more than anything else. The "Standing Man" protest in Cambodia The members of IFEX joined the "standing man" protest initiated by IFEX’s Turkey representatives Şanar Yurdatapan and Erol Önderoğlu in Cambodia to support the Gezi Park resistance, the freedom of expression and to condemn the police violence against the protestors.