Rights Advocates Detained During Solidarity Demonstration With Gülmen, Özakça Referred to Court

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43 rights advocates who have been taken into custody during a demonstration in solidarity with arrested academic Gülmen and teacher Özakça, who are on hunger strike in prison, have been referred to Court to testify before Prosecutor's Office.

43 rights advocates who have been taken into custody during a demonstration in Beşiktaş district in İstanbul in solidarity with the arrested academic Nuriye Gülmen and teacher Semih Özakça, who are on hunger strike in prison, have been referred to İstanbul Court in Çağlayan to testify before Prosecutor's Office.

The detainees are being charged with "propagandizing for a terrorist organization".

On August 5, the rights defenders gathering in front of Kartal Heykeli (Eagle Statue) in Beşiktaş wanted to make a press statement to draw attention to the situation of arrested educators Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça, who had been on the 152nd day of their hunger strike. Police intervening in the group, detained 33 people and later assaulted others in the group wanted to read a statement about the detentions and the number of detainees increased to 43 in total.

The rights defenders among whom are also the Human Rights Association (İHD) İstanbul Branch Chair, Attorney Gülseren Yoleri, İHD Executive Board member Doğan Özkan as well as many other İHD members and Attorney Barkın Timtik had given their testimonies yesterday (August 7) in the police station.

İHD and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) making a statement on the issue demanded that the rights defenders be released immediately, adding that they only wanted to make a statement to express their opinions and pointed out that they had been battered and tortured in detention. (AS/DG).