Protesting YSK’s Decision, Şen Tells of Her March from İstanbul to Ankara

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Doctor Hülya Şen, who started marching from İstanbul’s Kadıköy district to Ankara in protest of YSK’s decision to consider unsealed ballots valid in constitutional amendment referendum held on April 16, is about to reach Eskişehir on the fourth day of her march.

After having worked for 25 years in state hospitals, Hülya Şen submitted her resignation before starting her journey. However, she had not received a response whether her resignation was accepted yet. Upon this, she submitted a doctor's note and started marching. 

Speaking to bianet as to her march, Şen said she walks 30 kilometers per day and saw the support of groups, who struggled for “No”, in the settlement areas where she crosses.

Her daughter accompanies with a car

Three people including her daughter from “Assembly of Law Students” accompany her with a car.

Stating that events are organized where she arrives, Şen conveys that she rarely gets on the car to be able to make it on time to the events.

Reactions

We ask Şen about what kind of reactions she get in the settlements and during her march.

Saying that she hasn’t experienced anything bad, Şen states that she also speaks to people who voted “Yes” and she observed that they won’t be able to find peace because of this questionable referendum results and adds: “Even if YSK declares that ‘No has won the referendum’, this election has to be held again’”.

Şen says the vehicles that are informed of her march support her with their horns.

Approach of police

How is police’s approach in the settlement areas?

Şen explains that police greet her in every city she enters, track her for her safety and continue the tracking until she leaves the provincial border, and when she crosses to another province the law enforcement agency from that province take over. Şen notes that she hasn’t faced any police related negative thing.

She rejects participation requests

Even though there are many people who want to join Hülya Şen in her march, Şen turns down these offers. She explains her reason as follows:

“If we get crowded, police won’t let us march. Then I cannot make it to Ankara, that is why, I will sustain my march alone”.

Ankara on Sunday

Stating that she intends to reach Ankara on April 23, Sunday, Şen says she will visit Atatürk’s Monumental Tomb in Ankara and adds:

“I wait everyone who wants to be with me in the monumental tomb on that day”. (EKN/TK)