November 25 Platform makes criminal complaint for police brutality

Photo: November 25 Platform

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

November 25 Platform, bringing together women's groups and initiatives calling for common action on November 25, the international day for the elimination of violence against women made today a criminal complaint about the police brutality on the day in İstanbul.

The platform said in their statement, "As the November 25 Platform, we have made our call in order to meet in the Tünel square this year again, as each year. However the state, instead of ensuring that women can meet safely in order to protest against violence, used all its forces in order to prevent the women. Our lawsuit for the cancellation of the decision by Beyoğlu district governorship to ban the action dated November 24 is continuing.

"What we lived through in the evening of November 25 showed once more clearly who is disturbing the public order, threatening peace and creating a problem for the rights and freedoms. Beyoğlu, Şişhane and Karaköy have been blocked by police on November 25 starting from noon.

"Metro was closed, people's right to travel was prevented. The women who were able to overcome the police barriers and meet and who started marching were surrounded, beaten and taken into custody by the police on the streets coming from Şişhane, Galata and Karaköy to Tünel.

"There was no warning during the custodies. The police resorted to violence from the very start, used a language full of insult and harassment, used shields, kicked and hit us, making some women faint, breaking the leg of another, leaving some all in blood and rear-cuffing us and taking us in custody.

"During detention there were many violations of rights, arbitrary practices and methods of torture used such as serious assault which could result in loss of life or injury, harassment and transphobia towards trans women, keeping mobile phones and other equipment without any report, imposing naked body search, the doctors not examining our friends who were subjected to violence, and not recording their complaints.

"However we will never give up our rights, our lives, our struggle, our freedom, and equality. We will be on the streets again".(EMK/PE)