The headline of the week is once again the disproportionate use of force and violence by the police… The police used water cannons, teargas bombs and rubber bullets to disperse the thousands gathered with carnations in their hands in Istanbul’s Taksim Square on Saturday 22 June, in memorial for people killed during recent protests. The police intervention continued in Istanbul as well as in other cities such as Ankara and Adana, with the number of injured increasing day by day. The mainstream media continues to broadcast only the statements made by the government, leaving out any news on the Gezi Park resistance. The police officer who shot Ethem Sarısülük dead during the Gezi Park protests became another name on the list of “unpunished” public servants as he was released free on a pending trial. A group of young people beaten by police in an underground parking lot in Antalya did not file a criminal complaint. Ambassadors to EU member states, who were targeted by the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his rallies with statements like “Behave yourself”, met with government commissioners. Progress was made when the ambassadors signed a common statement for the first time in Turkey in which they expressed their concern over the recent developments, especially regarding police attitude towards peaceful protesters and respect for freedom of the press. Following the arrests, comparable to a modern day ‘witch-hunt’ due to message sharing on social media sites, Facebook denied accusations that it was collaborating with the government. The same day, Istanbul’s Police Department’s Security Branch announced that they have launched an investigation into twitter messages on the Gezi Park resistance. To sum up, the government continues to jeopardise the constitutionally embedded human rights of both freedom of assembly and freedom of expression, particularly in monitoring social media platforms and banning anyone from entering Gezi Park for two weeks.

1. Think, think…
Freedom of Expression Weekly Bulletin (Issue
26/13, 28 June 2013)
What happened last week? (20 - 28 June 2013)
The headline of the week is once again the disproportionate use of force and violence by the
police…
The police used water cannons, teargas bombs and rubber bullets to disperse the thousands
gathered with carnations in their hands in Istanbul’s Taksim Square on Saturday 22 June, in
memorial for people killed during recent protests.
The police intervention continued in Istanbul as well as in other cities such as Ankara and
Adana, with the number of injured increasing day by day. The mainstream media continues to
broadcast only the statements made by the government, leaving out any news on the Gezi Park
resistance.
The police officer who shot Ethem Sarısülük dead during the Gezi Park protests became another
name on the list of “unpunished” public servants as he was released free on a pending trial. A
group of young people beaten by police in an underground parking lot in Antalya did not file a
criminal complaint.
Ambassadors to EU member states, who were targeted by the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan during his rallies with statements like “Behave yourself”, met with government
commissioners. Progress was made when the ambassadors signed a common statement for the
first time in Turkey in which they expressed their concern over the recent developments,
especially regarding police attitude towards peaceful protesters and respect for freedom of the
press.
Following the arrests, comparable to a modern day ‘witch-hunt’ due to message sharing on
social media sites, Facebook denied accusations that it was collaborating with the government.
The same day, Istanbul’s Police Department’s Security Branch announced that they have
launched an investigation into twitter messages on the Gezi Park resistance.
To sum up, the government continues to jeopardise the constitutionally embedded human rights
of both freedom of assembly and freedom of expression, particularly in monitoring social media
platforms and banning anyone from entering Gezi Park for two weeks.

2. Act of leaving carnations
Turkish police have used water cannons, teargas and rubber bullets to disperse the thousands
gathering with carnations in Istanbul’s Taksim Square on Saturday in memorial of the four
people killed during recent anti-government protests. The police attacked people on the ground
claiming that they were blocking the traffic and have taken 27 people into custody. Hundreds,
including children, have been injured. The Governor of Istanbul, Hüseyin Avni Mutlu stated that
“it was not about leaving the carnations, but about the illegal act itself”.
To watch the video on these incidents, please click:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cju61E2LkhY
No justice for Sarısülük
Ahmet Şahbaz, the police officer who shot protestor Ethem Sarısülük dead during a
demonstration in Ankara was released on a pending trial by the Ankara 13th Criminal Court of
Peace. The judge Mustafa Aydın claimed: “I made my decision according to the evidence. I have
a clear conscience”. Ahmet Şahbaz claimed that he was “afraid to be lynched”. “We will appeal
to the European Court of Human Rights”, said Kazım Bayraktar, the lawyer of the Sarısülük
family, following the judge’s decision. The head of the Investigation of Officer’s Crimes
Department, Zeki Ünalmaz, claimed via Twitter that he appreciated the court’s decision.

3. Gezi Raid in Ankara: 23 in custody
The police raided the houses and offices of people participating in the Gezi Park resistance in
Ankara for the second time. 23 people were taken into custody following the raid on 23 different
addresses. Signs for the Gezi Park resistance and the booklet made for Ethem Sarısülük were
seized. The court limited access to the files of the suspects and their lawyers on the grounds that
they are members of an illegal armed terror organization. 22 people out of the 26 arrested were
taken into custody following the previous raid operation in Ankara.
Using a book as evidence of crime
To demonstrate the arbitrary nature of police actions, a book seized during the raids, titled
Communication and Imperialism: The Economy and Politics of Telecommunication in Turkey,
has been used as evidence of criminality. 22 people have been sent to Sincan prison under the
charge that they are members of an illegal organisation.
Fear over filing a criminal complaint
B.Ö, a Gezi Park demonstrator targeted by police violence in an underground car park in Antalya
said he will not be filing a criminal complaint against the police officers. He claimed that: “my
father is a police officer, and will be retiring in a couple of years. If I file a criminal complaint, I
may be damaging his career.”
The young girl E.S.O., who had suffered from police violence with her two other friends, said
that she would not file a criminal complaint against the police, for fear of too much public
attention.
To see the video of police violence in the parking lot, please click
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlFx10H_IK0

4. The spokesman of Taksim Solidarity Platform sent to
Gaziantep (!)
Tayfun Kahraman, head of the Instanbul Chamber of Urban Planners, and spokesman of Taksim
Solidarity Platform, the umbrella non-governmental organisation of the Gezi Park Resistance
consisting of more than 120 institutions, chambers and foundations, has been sent to Gaziantep.
He has been assigned to Gaziantep Heritage Council, with the task being conveyed on a written
statement.
Topbaş denies his previous statement: “I was speaking
metaphorically”
The Mayor of Istanbul Kadir Topbaş denied his own words stating: “when I said we would
consult with the citizens even in regards to the replacement of a bus stop, I was speaking
metaphorically. For some projects we can consult with the citizens, for some others we cannot.”
The
events
of
Gezi
Park
have
led
to
people
gathering
in
other
neighbourhoods
to
express
their
opinions,
reinforcing
public
demand
for
greater
participatory
democracy.
The
government
must
take
this
very
seriously,
consulting
with
the
citizens
in
every
step
they
take.
Only
then
will
true
democracy,
rights
and
freedoms
be
realised.

5. BBC: It is unacceptable for our journalist to be
directly targeted
The BBC Global News director, Peter Horrocks issued a statement in response to the Twitter
campaign launched by Ankara Mayor Melih Gökçek against the established BBC Turkish service
journalist Selin Girit. Horrocks expressed concerns over campaigns which target journalists in
such a way.
Gökçek urged his followers to condemn Girit by sending tweets with the hashtag
#ingiltereadınaajanlıkyapmaselingirit ("Don't be an agent on behalf of England, Selin Girit"). "I
demand everyone who loves their country to make this hashtag a trending topic. That way, our
reaction will be heard abroad," the Ankara mayor said via Twitter.
Facebook and Twitter users under investigation
Following the statement of the Minister of Transport, Binali Yildirim, about Facebook providing
information to Turkish government, FB stated that they "have not provided user data to Turkish
authorities in response to government requests relating to the protests. More generally, we reject
all government data requests from Turkish authorities and push them to formal legal channels.
Only in the event of an immediate threat to someone’s life, or to a child, will we provide any
data”.
On the same day, the Istanbul Police Department’s Security Branch submitted a detailed report to
the Prosecutor’s Office of 35 social media profiles for insulting state authorities, including Prime
Minister Erdoğan.
EU state Ambassadors’ meeting with the government
Representing the first time in which EU state ambassadors collectively exchanged views with the
Turkish government, the ambassadors issued a statement expressing their concern over the
country’s recent developments, particularly in regards to police actions against peaceful
protestors and respect for freedom of the press.

6. Resignation of Wise Men
Academic Murat Belge resigned from the Wise Men Committee for the Southeastern Anatolia
Region. In a column published in the Taraf Daily on Wednesday titled “letter of resignation”,
Belge criticized the government’s management of the three-week crisis and said that he has
resigned from the Wise Men Committee. Prof. Baskın Oran also announced his resignation,
because of both the Gezi Park events and the government’s failure to follow through with the
second step of the Kurdish peace process, relating to regulation changes. After these resignations,
on 26 June the Wise Men group presented their reports to Prime Minister Erdogan in a meeting at
Dolmabahçe Palace. When confronted, Erdogan declared that “Gezi Park has no place in this
meeting, please don't mention it in this framework.”
20th
anniversary of the Sivas Massacre*
Thousands gathered in Istanbul's Anatolian district, Kadıköy, to join the upcoming 20th
anniversary of the Sivas Massacre. Kemal Bülbül, Chairman of the Pir Sultan Abdal Culture
Association said that “the law case of the massacre has been barred due to time extension. We
have to claim this history.” Bülbül also added that they don't accept the name given to the third
bridge constructed over Bosphorus, Yavuz Sultan Selim.
* Sivas / Madımak massacre, in which 37 people, mostly Alevis, were killed after an angry mob set a hotel
building hosting an Alevi cultural conference on fire on July 2, 1993.
A total of 33 artists and intellectuals along with two hotel workers and two assailants died inside Sivas' Madımak
Hotel. The mob was protesting the arrival of atheist writer Aziz Nesin.

7. “Resist Taksim, the Queers are with you!”
The 21st
LGBT Pride Week started with Trans Pride and the participation of tens of thousands
marching from Taksim Square to Tünel. The main headlines of the press statements were “Long
live the brotherhood of Gezi Park, long live the brotherhood of parks” and “The freedom of the
trans people will free the whole society”. Artists and politicians such as Binnaz Toprak, Sezgin
Tanrıkulu, Eren Keskin, Füsun Demirel, Melda Onur, Ayça Damgacı, and Derya Karadaş all
joined the march.
7 years belated release
A Turkish citizen, Hasan Yağız who had been arrested in Izmir in 1991 and given a life sentence
for alleged involvement illegal activity, has just been released after 22 years – 7 years later than
the expected 15 years. This delay is the result of a simple and unfortunate mistake which could
easily have been fixed, had the authorities not ignored the multiple demands to do so.
As can be seen in Transitional Article 4, Part 5 of the Law on the Fight against Terrorism:
“The conditional release will be available to these convicts without their application or
irrespective of their status of good conduct when they complete 20 years of their sentence if there
are death sentences against them, 15 years if they are sentenced to lifetime imprisonment and
one-third if they are sentenced to other personal freedom-restricting punishments”.
Furthermore, Mr. Yağız had been on the Human Rights Association’s list of “detainees with
serious health concerns in need of immediate release” but every request he made to the
authorities was refused.

8. The E.A. case: one suspect has been arrested
E.A was raped in Bingol 2 years ago, when she was just 16. The Court, however, had originally
rejected to arrest the eight suspects in the case, all of whom were officers, because there was no
change in the evidence situation. The demand for the lifting of the “secrecy” decision was
rejected because there was again no change in the evidence and also considering the nature and
the features of the crime. The victim’s lawyer Canan Çakabay and the Family and Social Policies
Minister Fatma Şahin, however, have just announced that one of the suspects, has finally been
arrested:
“As the result of our involvement in the case and our objection to the court decision, one of the
suspects has been arrested again,” wrote Fatma Şahin on her Twitter account.
“Strip searching in custody is torture”
Seven women who were taken into custody on 31 May during the Gezi Resistance were exposed
to an unlawful naked body search by a female police officer. The lawyers stated that the
involvement of a female officer does not change the fact that this is an act of torture, highlighting
the violation of Article 94 of the Turkish Penal Code:
“Any public officer who causes severe bodily or mental pain, or loss of conscious or ability to
act, or dishonours a person, is sentenced to imprisonment from three years to twelve years”.
Unlawful strip searches are considered as an act of torture in the form of sexual harassment and
must not be condoned on any account.
*****************************************************************************