Turkish not-so-independent court ruled today the Istanbul mayor will stay in jail.Amnesty International issued two alerts after massive demonstrations in this city between Europe and Asia threatened the safety of visitors.
More than 1100 demonstrators, including journalists documenting the situation, have been arrested.
Turkiye also detained 37 people accused of sharing “provocative” social media posts over the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu
US authorities warned for attending gatherings in Turkey.
Some cities have temporarily banned participation in demonstrations. The Istanbul Governor’s Office announced that Turkish authorities will prohibit individuals and vehicles from entering or exiting Istanbul and surrounding areas if their purpose is to participate in illegal demonstrations. Attending demonstrations or traveling to locations where demonstrations are being held could result in questioning by law enforcement or detention. Large gatherings may result in enhanced police presence, road closures, metro closures, and traffic disruptions. Any gathering, even those intended to be peaceful, could escalate and turn violent.
Amnesty International Demands
Turkish authorities must end the use of unnecessary and indiscriminate force by security forces against peaceful demonstrators and investigate unlawful acts of violence committed by police against protesters, said Amnesty International, as protests against the detention of Istanbul mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, intensify.
Türkiye: Massive escalation in ongoing crackdown including arrest of Istanbul mayor
Reacting to the detention of more than 100 people, including Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, in connection with “corruption” and “terrorism” related investigations, together with a four-day protest blanket ban and reported bandwidth restrictions on X, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, Dinushika Dissanayake, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Europe, said:
“Today’s draconian actions represent a massive escalation in the Turkish authorities’ ongoing crackdown on peaceful dissent and the targeting of the main political opposition party CHP, just days before it is expected to choose the Istanbul Mayor as its presidential candidate.
“While the weaponization of vague anti-terrorism allegations to detain and prosecute opponents is not new, these latest detentions and associated restrictions represent an alarming intensification of the targeting of real or perceived critics, main opposition and others, and a further suffocation of civil society’s ability to exercise their right to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly,
“The drastic rollback of human rights witnessed in Türkiye over the last decade has laid the ground for a level of impunity for human rights violations that should be challenged.
Background
Detention orders have also been issued for around 100 others connected to Istanbul’s mayor, including Şişli and Beylikdüzü District Mayors in Istanbul. Over 80 of them, including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, are said to have been taken into police custody in the early hours of 19 March with a further 20 others still facing detention. They are subject to a lawyer ban for 24 hours and could be held in custody for up to four days.
Yesterday, Istanbul University announced it was cancelling Mayor İmamoğlu’s university degree, after weeks of public speculation about its validity. Being a university graduate is one of the eligibility conditions for candidature to the presidency.
This comes just days before the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is scheduled to hold a primary election on 23 March, where İmamoğlu was expected to be elected as its presidential candidate.
The Governor of Istanbul also announced the closure of major metro lines and roads in central Istanbul along with the decision to ban all protests and meetings in Istanbul for four days.
According to internet watchdog NetBlocks, access to X, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok has been restricted in the country. Major metro lines and roads in central Istanbul have also been closed.
The call comes following the extension of a blanket protest ban in three cities and as authorities confirm that 1,133 protesters have been detained since protests began on 19 March. It also comes amid reports of injuries, the throttling of social media and the detention of journalists covering the overwhelmingly peaceful protests in dawn raids.
“The use of unnecessary and indiscriminate force by police against peaceful protesters in Türkiye must immediately stop. Amnesty International has reviewed footage of numerous incidents and is urgently reminding Turkish authorities that they must adhere to international human rights law and standards when policing protests,” Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said:
The indiscriminate use of pepper spray, tear gas and water cannon, against peaceful protesters is deeply shocking as is the police use of plastic bullets
“Amnesty International reviewed footage showing completely unwarranted police use of force against peaceful demonstrators with people beaten with batons and kicked when they were on the ground. The indiscriminate use of pepper spray, tear gas and water cannon, against peaceful protesters is deeply shocking as is the police use of plastic bullets – sometimes fired at close range at the face and upper body – which have caused numerous injuries and even hospitalizations. These unlawful acts of violence must be investigated promptly and the perpetrators brought to justice.”
The overwhelmingly peaceful demonstrations began in Istanbul following the imprisonment of Ekrem İmamoğlu, a key rival and vocal critic of Türkiye’s President Erdoğan. They have spread across much of the country, and have been met with unrelenting force.
Amnesty reminds the Turkish authorities that the use of force by police must be strictly controlled. Tear gas and water cannon, for example, should never be used unless there is widespread and generalized violence against persons that cannot be contained by less harmful measures. Even where some participants engage in isolated acts of violence (i.e. using force that is likely to result in injury or death, or serious damage to property), this does not make the entire protest non-peaceful and can never justify the indiscriminate use of force by the police against all participants.
It is crucial that Turkish authorities respect and protect the right to peaceful assembly, immediately lift the blanket protest bans
In a series of dawn raids on 24 March, at least eight journalists who had been reporting on the protests were detained from their homes. Internet users experienced bandwidth reduction that lasted for 42 hours, restricting access to social media and news sites and more than 700 accounts of journalists, activists and opposition figures on Twitter/X have been blocked.
“The throttling of the Internet is a blatant assault on the right to freedom of expression. Authorities should refrain from resorting to such measures. Social media companies, namely X, must take immediate steps to ensure that the accounts of people critical of the Turkish government are restored,” said Agnès Callamard.
“It is crucial that Turkish authorities respect and protect the right to peaceful assembly, immediately lift the blanket protest bans and release all those unjustifiably and arbitrarily detained solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful protest.”
Background
Journalists detained this morning include Ali Onur Tosun, Bülent Kılıç, Zeynep Kuray, Yasin Akgül, Hayri Tunç, Kurtuluş Arı, Zişan Gür, Murat Kocabaş and Barış İnce.
Following the detention order of Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor to detain more than 100 people, including Ekrem İmamoğlu, two prominent district mayors in Istanbul, on 23 March, 48 people were remanded in pretrial detention. 44 people were released with judicial control measures.
Ekrem İmamoğlu was remanded in pretrial detention under the law on combating criminal organizations for profit as well as on accusations of “bribery, embezzlement, unlawful acquisition of personal data and bid rigging.”