İHD, HDP denounce the detention of 23 women in Diyarbakır

* Photo: Mezopotamya Agency (MA)

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As part of an investigation launched by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in Turkey's Kurdish-majority southeast, 23 women were taken into custody on March 16. Rights organizations and political parties have denounced these detentions by making statements.

As reported by JinNews, a press conference was held at the Human Rights Association (İHD) Diyarbakır Branch yesterday (March 17). The conference was attended by İHD Co-Chair Eren Keskin, Rosa Women's Association and Lawyers for Freedom Diyarbakır Branch.

'We are against sexism'

Taking the floor at the conference, İHD Co-Chair and lawyer Eren Keskin referred to the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government and said that "the government has shown its attitude to women by withdrawing from the İstanbul Convention" by a Presidential decision.

"This situation means that the government approves violence against women," she said and briefly added the following:

"We know that our friends were both emotionally tortured with their houses raided yesterday and physicially tortured by being detained. They are detained with their acts in the civil sphere cited as a crime.

"We know the state's women policy very closely. It was just yesterday that a man who had beaten his spouse before the eyes of everyone was released in İstanbul while our friends detained.

"So, when we say, 'violence against women is political', we do not solely object to the relationship of the oppressor and oppressed between men and women. We also object to racism, militarism and sexism.

"If you are talking about a resolution, you need to take a side. We believe that solidarizing with them will uplift the opposition. This is our call to the AKP: Give up on violence against women. Every violence that you inflict on women because of their activities increases violence at home".

HDP: Timing is no coincidence

Earlier in the day yesterday, the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) also released a statement about the detention of women in Diyarbakır.

Signed by HDP's Co-Spokespersons for the Foreign Affairs Commission Feleknas Uca and Hişyar Özsoy, the statement of the HDP underlined that the timing of the detentions "was no coincidence".

Referring to the ruling AKP and its ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) in its statement, the HDP stated the following:

"The AKP-MHP alliance continues its crackdown on all opposition, with further detentions and arrests. The alliance has a misogynistic policy and puts pressure on women who fight for women's rights and freedom.

"Police operations have targeted women in Diyarbakır, and over a dozen of women have been detained.

"On 16 March 2022, early in the morning, police raided the homes of many women activists as part of an investigation launched by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in 2021. It has been announced that detention warrants have been issued for 24 women.

"Among the detainees are Filiz Buluttekin, the former co-mayor of the Sur district who was replaced with a government-appointed trustee; Fatma Yıldızhan, the secretary of Health and Social Service Workers' Union (SES) in Diyarbakır; and Adalet Kaya, who is the Chair of the Rosa Women's Association. Other women activists detained include:

• Nevin Oyman - Board member of the Rosa Women's Association
• Fatma Gültekin – Member of the Rosa Women's Association
• Zekiye Güler- Free Women Assembly (TJA) activist
• Remziye Sızıcı - HDP Yenişehir District Co-Chair
• Nihal Yanık - TÜM BEL-SEN Union Chair
• Hatice Efe - Eğitim Sen Union No. 1 Education Secretary
• Bahar Uluğ - United Transportation Union (BTS) Women's Secretary
• Emine Kaya - Member of the Yenişehir City Council
• Jale Okkan - TJA activist
• Sakine Karadeniz, Birsen Güneş, Hazal Yıldırım, Safiye Akdağ, Esma Efetürk, Yıldız Kardaş, Gülşen Özer and Evin Yelboğa.

"It is no coincidence that these detentions took place after International Women's Day and just before the Newroz celebrations.

"Citing these celebrations as a justification, the government criminalizes women who are fighting for women's freedom and justice. Women's organizations continue to resist despite all the pressures.

"They will not kneel in the face of this misogynistic political attitude but will continue their struggle for women's freedom." (EMK/SD)