In a recent observation report shared with the public, human rights groups in Turkey highlighted ongoing pressures against the 'Saturday Mothers/People', a group demanding justice for their forcibly disappeared relatives. The report was prepared by the Truth Justice and Memory Studies Association (Hafıza Merkezi), Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), Turkish Human Rights Foundation (TİHV), and Amnesty International, following the group's 988th weekly gathering on March 2, 2024.
The 'Saturday Mothers/People' have faced increasing restrictions since their first gathering at Galatasaray Square on April 8, 2023, following a decision by Turkey's Constitutional Court. Initially barred and detained by police during their 941st week meeting, they have continued their peaceful protests every Saturday except May 13, facing various forms of obstruction. Although they were not detained during their 971st gathering on November 4, 2023, they were encircled by security forces. From their 972nd week gathering on November 11, 2023, only 10 people have been allowed to read their press statement at Galatasaray Square.
The report details the constraints observed during the 988th gathering of the 'Saturday Mothers/People': increased police presence in the street where the Istanbul Branch of the Human Rights Association (İHD) is located, plainclothes police officers conspicuously stationed along routes used by the protesters and human rights defenders between İHD and Galatasaray Square, a restriction on the number of people allowed at the press statement to 10, continuous monitoring to ensure compliance with this limit, and extensive recording of the event with multiple cameras. These measures are seen as significant indicators of the ongoing restrictions imposed by law enforcement on the 'Saturday Mothers/People'.
The 'Saturday Mothers/People' have been gathering at Galatasaray Square to demand answers about the fate of their disappeared relatives and to call for the identification and accountability of the perpetrators. The interventions and restrictions identified in the report, as highlighted by the Constitutional Court, negatively impact their efforts to raise public awareness about the fate of the forcibly disappeared. Moreover, these ongoing interventions and restrictions are seen as a continuation of efforts to criminalize the activities of the 'Saturday Mothers/People', which the Constitutional Court has indicated should be respected. Considering the obstructions and interventions in previous weeks, these restrictions have become routine over the past 17 weeks, indicating a continuous and varying form of administrative harassment against the 'Saturday Mothers/People'.
