11 women activists arrested in Diyarbakır

* Photo: Twitter

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Detained in Turkey's Kurdish-majority southeastern province of Diyarbakır five days ago, 11 women in total have been arrested.

Taken into custody in police operations on March 16-17, 2022, dismissed Sur Co-Mayor Filiz Buluttekin, Social Service Laborers' Union (SES) Diyarbakır Branch Women's Secretary Fatma Yıldızhan, United Transport Workers Union (BTS) Diyarbakır Branch Women's Secretary Bahar Uluğ, Free Women's Movement (TJA) activists Zekiye Güler, Birsen Güneş, Safiye Akdağ, Evin Yelboğa, Emine Akşahin, Emine Çetiner, Keziban Kuday and Songül Kapancı were referred to the prosecutor's office after the related procedures had been completed at the police department.

During their interrogation at the prosecutor's office, the detained women were asked questions as to why they had joined the March 8 International Women's Day rally, the demonstration march on November 25 International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the protest against Turkey's withdrawal from the İstanbul Convention.

Following their interrogation at the prosecutor's office, 11 women were referred to the court with a request for their arrest. Filiz Buluttekin, Bahar Uluğ, Fatma Yıldızhan and Songül Kapancı have been arrested while Zekiye Güler, Birsen Güneş, Safiye Akdağ, Evin Yelboğa, Emine Akşahin, Emine Çetiner and Keziban Kuday have been released on probation.

What happened?

In operations launched in the Kurdish-majority province of Diyarbakır on March 16-17, 2022, 25 women were detained. Referred to the courthouse on March 18, Rosa Women's Association Chair Adalet Kaya, the association's executives Fatma Gültekin and Nevin Oyman, TÜM-BEL-SEN Branch Chair Nihal Yanık, Eğitim-Sen No. 1 Branch Secretary Hatice Efe, Hazal Yıldırım and Mühibet Özcanlı were released on probation.

HDP's Yenişehir District Co-Chair Remziye Sızıcı, dismissed Bismil Co-Mayor Gülşen Özer, Yenişehir Municipal Council member Emine Kaya, Sakine Karadeniz, Fatma Kalmaz, Jale Okkan and Esma Efetürk were arrested. With the recent detentions, the number of women who have been arrested as part of the same operation increased to 11 as of March 20. (RT/SD)