Weekly Report 13-20 April, 2015

1) #Soma Hearing Begins

The first hearing of the case regarding the mine disaster in Manisa’s province of Soma, resulted in the death of 301 miners had started on April 13th. The decision to hear testimonies of the 8 jailed defendants through the Sound and Image Informatics System (SEGBIS) was revoked due to heavy reaction of miners’ families. The other sessions took place on 15th, 16th and 17th of April.

#Soma is considered as one of the biggest workplace murders in Turkey.

Source: http://www.bianet.org/english/politics/163846-third-hearing-of-soma-trial-begins

 

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2) Nuclear Plant Ceremony in Mersin, Akkuyu Met With Protests

The groundbreaking ceremony of Mersin Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant witnessed protests on 14th of April. While lawsuits against the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report continue, the contractor firm Cengiz Construction commenced groundbreaking with a ceremony. Protesters attacked by water cannons (TOMA), dispersed after a while.

Apart from the Akkuyu Nuclear Plant, Cengiz Construction had previously won bids regarding the mega-contracts for the 3rd Bridge in İstanbul, the 3rd Airport in İstanbul, the first airport in Ordu, 5 power plants of various kinds, couple of inter-city highways, the high speed railway project between Anakara-İstanbul and a metro station in İstanbul, and currently holds 4 energy distribution companies among its assets.

Source: http://www.bianet.org/english/people/163800-nuclear-plant-ceremony-met-with-protests

 

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3) Clashes Broke Out in Sarıgazi, Istanbul Where International Anti-Imperialist Symposium Was Held, April 14, 2015

On 14th of April, security forces groundlessly attacked preparations for an anti-imperialist symposium in the Sarıgazi District of Istanbul. Police, destroying the tent where the symposium was to be held, attacked the local youth with tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets.

Following the continuous and aggressive police presence in and around the neighborhood, local youth erected barricades and responded with molotov cocktails and fireworks. Throughout the clashes that went on for a couple of hours, 3 youth were arrested, 1 was injured due to head wounds caused by a gas canister.

Police provocations continued through to the last day of the international anti-imperialist symposium, on the pretext that Grup Yorum was going to hold a concert for the guests. Raiding the park in which the symposium was held, with 8 armoured police vehicles, filled with special forces teams, security forces tried provoking the local youth and intimidated the international guests.

 

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4) Eskişehir Trial Begins, 110 People Facing 900 Years Jail Time, April 14, 2015

110 people including students, teachers and academics were being tried with sentences ranging from 1 to 8 years of jail – which collectively totals up to 900 years – for blocking the streets and the railway for 4 hours in Eskişehir during the protests for Ahmet Atakan, who was killed by police in the Gezi protests in Antakya.

 

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5) Education Suspended for Two Days in DTCF Faculty of Ankara University, 14 April, 2015

Following an attack carried out by fascists against the DTCF faculty of Ankara University, security forces entered the university, attacking the anti-fascist students gathered to defend the campus and evacuated the university, suspending education for 2 days.

 

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6) House Raids in Kurdish Cities: 12 Detained, April 14, 2015

12 people have been detained, as anti-terror teams and gendarmerie forces conducted house raids at dawn in Yüksekova, Ceylanpınar and Kızıltepe.

Source: http://en.firatajans.com/news/12-detained-as-police-conduct-raids-and-terrorize-kurdish-civilians

 

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7) Thousands in Sirnak and Cizre Marched Against the Turkish Military Operations, April 15, 2015

Thousands in Şırnak and Cizre marched against the Turkish military operation that resulted in the murder of Cezmi Budak – former co-chair of the HDP party in Diyadin – and the severe wounding of Meya-Der executive Cenap Ilboga.

One PKK guerrilla, Serhat Kızılay was also killed. HDP stated that the Peace Process was being sabotaged by the government due to AKP’s fear of losing the majority in parliament in the upcoming elections.

 

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8) 1,150 Police Chiefs Have Been Forced to Retire

1,150 police chiefs have been forcefully to retired after the dreaded Internal Security Package was put in place by the parliament. 2,400 more third and fourth-class police chiefs are expected to be forcefully retired.

The subject police chiefs are claimed to be in connection with the Cemaat Community/Gülen Movement (headed by the cleric Fethullah Gülen), which once had close relationships with the AKP government. After a massive criminal investigation targeting corruption went public on December 17th, 2013, implicating high-profile bureaucrats, businessmen and sons of three ministers from the AKP government, the government had started a war against their once close ally.

 

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9) AKP’s Election Declaration Doesn’t Include Peace Process!

AKP’s election declaration was presented by PM Ahmet Davutoğlu on 15th of April. The peace process between PKK and the Turkish state was referred only in the ‘What we have done so far’ section of the declaration and was not mentioned in any other part, including ‘Our future plans’ .

This document is also referred to as the ‘Contract of New Turkey’.

 

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10) Self Defence Is A Right, Justice for #NevinYıldırım, April 17, 2015

Following the call of feminist artists, women gathered in Galatasaray Square to display banners prepared for Nevin Yıldırım, who had killed her rapist and had received a life sentence for doing so.

Women protestors demonstrated against this double standard carried out by the Turkish legal system which tends to commute the sentences of male murderers who have killed women under the pretence of ‘honor crimes’ all the while punishing women for defending themselves against their male aggressors.

 

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11) Armed Assault Targeted Central Headquarters of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), on 18th of April

On 18th of April, at 4 am, an unidentified vehicle driving by the headquarters of HDP in Ankara opened fire on the building, leaving the area after having met with counter-fire by the police.

HDP politicians warn that these attacks are provocation attempts to hinder HDP’s opposition to the antidemocratic electoral threshold along with the AKP dominance in the Turkish parliament. Also attacks have been reported to several HDP offices in Kadıkoy, Istanbul and Serik, Antalya.

Source: http://jinha.com.tr/en/components/3125655355/content/view/20901

 

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12) Two Missing Local Girls Were Found in Houses of Police Officers, in Northern Kurdish province of Siirt

After a 16-year-old girl and 18-year-old young woman went missing for two days in the province of Siirt, they were found in the homes of two police officers, one working in the Counter-Terrorism Branch and the other in Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Branch of the Siirt Police Department.

The officers are accused of abducting and sexually assaulting the girls. The Women’s Platform members gathered at the branch office of Human Rights Association in  Siirt to call for a full explanation of the incident while the state kept its silence.

Sources:
http://jinha.com.tr/en/ALL-NEWS/content/view/20893
http://jinha.com.tr/en/components/3125655355/content/view/20945

 

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13) 56 People Visiting  Şafak Yayla’s Grave Detained in Giresun, April 18, 2015

56 people demanding to visit Şafak Yayla’s grave, the DHKC militant who was killed during the Çağlayan Courthouse hostage-rescue operation, have been taken into custody in Giresun.

Police buses filled with the detainees were attacked by fascists on the way to the police station. The fascist group gathered in front of the city’s police station in an attempt to lynch the detainees, while the officials took no action aganist them.