Teachers Protesting Discharges Released from Prison for the Fourth Time

* Tanrıverdi and Polat in front of Bakırköy Prison after their third release

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Teachers Nursel Tanrıverdi and Selvi Polat, who were arrested for four times times before on charge of "organizing illegal protest demonstrations," were released from Bakırköy Prison for the fourth time on April 15, 2019.

After they were discharged from public service by the Statutory Decree no. 686, which was issued on February 7, 2017 during the period of State of Emergency, Tanrıverdi and Polat have started to protest the discharges at Bakırköy Square in İstanbul. Facing the same charge in six different courts, the teachers have been acquitted in all of them.

However, these verdicts of acquittal have not deterred the Prosecutor's Office from issuing new bills of indictment.

Complaint to be filed against police, prosecutor, judes

Speaking to bianet about their judicial process, Tanrıverdi has stated that they will file a criminal complaint against the police officers who intervened in their protest, the prosecutors who referred them to court to be arrested and the judges who ruled for their arrest:

"We were arrested again only one week after we were released, which manifests the current state of unlawfulness in our country. A powerful government cannot intervene in democratic demonstrations in this way, it does not feel the necessity to do so.

"While it is evident that we did not oppose the law no. 2911, we were subjected to a serious practice and arrested, which shows that the verdict in question is a political one. We are faced with police officers, prosecutors and judges who are afraid of losing their jobs. As we think that they all committed a crime, we will file a criminal complaint against the police officers who tortured us as well as the prosecutor and judges who ruled for our arrest.

"We will continue struggling against the government and judiciary which try to deprive the ones discharged by statutory decrees of their right to vote and to be elected and who subject us to enemy law. We will continue to want our job back and to be at the squares. Because neither of them is a crime."

Concluding her remarks, Tanrıverdi has also emphasized that they are not only struggling for their reinstatement in their former positions, but they are also defending the job security of all civil servants.

What happened?

Teachers Nursel Tanrıverdi and Selvi Polat, who were discharged by a Statutory Decree, have been staging protests with the slogan "We want our job" at the Bakırköy Square in İstanbul on every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday since January 20, 2017. Since the day when they started their protests, they have been taken into custody for many times.

In the 74th week of their protests, the teachers were detained again. Though they were released on probation after being taken into custody, in the verdict of the court, there was a sentence, stating that Tanrıverdi and Polat were banned from approaching the square more than 200 meters.

The teachers stated that they would not recognize the ban and attempted to make a statement for the press at the Bakırköy Square on August 13, 2018. During the statement, the teachers were taken into custody again and an international travel ban was imposed on them.

After Tanrıverdi and Polat tried to make another statement for the press, they were arrested on August 21, 2018. Teachers were released on September 6 after being arrested for almost two weeks. The ban of not approaching the square more than 200 meters was also lifted by the court.

While the teachers were acquitted of the charge brought against them due to their protests on February 14, the Bakırköy 2nd Penal Judgeship of Peace has previously imposed a ban of not approaching Bakırköy Square more than 100 meters on February 5, 2019.

Having been arrested and released for four times since they started their protest, the teachers have been acquitted by all six different courts where they were tried on the same charge. (AS/SD)