Turkey's dismissed educators who've been on hunger strike arrested
On the 76th day of their hunger strike, dismissed educators in Turkey, Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça have been arrested. They had been taken to the court earlier on Tuesday (May 23) after having been taken into custody from their houses in a midnight operation of the police in Ankara.
Gülmen and Özakça are among thousands of educators in Turkey who have been dismissed from their positions under emergency decrees passed by the President Erdoğan and his Council of Ministers in scope of investigations into the failed coup attempt of last summer. For months, they had been holding a sit-in in front of the Human Rights Statue on Yüksel Street of Ankara’s city center, Kızılay, in order to demand their jobs back.
The educators’ lawyer, Selçuk Özağaçlı, shared a message from his tweeter account announcing that Gülmen and Özakça were arrested at around 20:00 on Tuesday evening.
Arrested because of their 'potential to harm judicial process if not arrested'
According to information shared by lawyer Özağaçlı, the court ordered for their arrest based on ‘speculations that they would be harming judicial process if they do not get arrested.’ In the official text of the decision, a reference is made to the educators’ ‘alleged ties to terrorist organization DHKP-C’, though no evidence is provided except for ‘certain photographs portraying them while in demonstration and the content of their social media posts.’
As their health began to detoriate due to their over two months long hunger strike, a number of civil society groups, politicians, and artists had reacted against the government’s silence over the issue. Meanwhile, several pro-government columnists suggested force-feed. Only response received from a government official was the statement of AKP MP Sait Yüce, who is also the deputy head of the Human Rights Committee. Though asserting that the government is trying to ‘correct the wrongdoing in dismissals’, MP Yüce also said as AKP they found hunger strikes against their beliefs and called on Gülmen and Özakça to end their hunger strike and ‘just be patient.’
Prosecutor asks: 'What benefit do you get from going on hunger strike?'
Some of the questions of the prosecutor asked to Gülmen and Özakça during their interrogation were posted online by their lawyer Kozağaçlı.
As Kozağaçlı stated, the prosecutor asked Semih Özakça only one question separately: “A video where you play the guitar and sing was shared (online) and you liked it. Have you thought that those sharing your video could be members of an organization (terrorist organization)?”
To both of them, the following questions were asked:
“Do you desire to start a Gezi-like protest in our country by holding a demonstration in solidarity with others across the country?”
“What is the actual purpose behind this act (hunger strike) which appears as though it is an innocent act of seeking one’s rights?”
“What is the reason for you to hold a method of demonstration that is far from seeking rights and that triggers animosity and hatred among the public?”
“What kinds of benefits have been offered as a result of going on a hunger strike?”
Their arrest has now caused speculations among the experts and the public that they might have been taken into custody for forced-feed since their condition and the public reaction about it have made the government officials fearful about a possible major riot sparked by it in the country.
Source: https://www.birgun.net/haber-detay/nuriye-gulmen-ve-semih-ozakca-tutuklandi-160939.html