Saturday Mothers target of specific ban: Human rights groups

The Beyoglu District Governor's Office has issued a specific ban against the Saturday Mothers/People -- an advocacy group of families who have lost loved ones under state or police custody, particularly during a period of political unrest in the 1990s -- according to a report from human rights organizations. The police intervention during the group's 951st weekly gathering, held on June 17, 2023, was observed by the Media and Legal Studies Association (MLSA), Truth Justice Memory Center and Amnesty International Turkey, in adherence to the standards of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The organizations plan to continue these joint observations until the unlawful blockade over Galatasaray Square is lifted. For seven weeks, the institutions have been monitoring the ban decisions of the Beyoglu District Governor's Office, the obstruction of press releases based on these bans, and the detention process of the Saturday Mothers/People and human rights defenders. Throughout their observation, the institutions have found that administrative authorities have failed to implement related decisions of the Constitutional Court and continued the same behaviors that were accepted to have caused violations in the Constitutional Court decisions. Moreover, the first ban decision directly against the Saturday Mothers/People by the Beyoglu District Governor's Office was implemented despite the relevant Constitutional Court decisions. On June 17, 2023, the group, including relatives of the missing and human rights defenders, was seen walking towards Galatasaray Square with carnations in their hands from the front of Hazzopulo Passage. Notable figures such as Pervin Buldan, co-chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), and several MPs accompanied the group. The crowd was completely surrounded by shield-bearing police officers at 11:59 a.m., and despite no corridor being opened for the crowd to disperse, an announcement to disperse began at 12:01 p.m. The announcement, which stated the demonstrations of the Saturday Mothers/People were "illegal" according to the "Beyoglu District Governor's Office ban," was repeated three times. By 12:10 p.m., those inside the circle began to be loaded into the detention vehicle. Despite the group not resisting the detention process, they were handcuffed before being put in the vehicle. Some were handcuffed normally, while others were handcuffed in reverse before being loaded into the detention vehicle. After the detention vehicle left the area at 12:20 p.m., Buldan read the press release that was not allowed to be read by the Saturday Mothers/People in the police circle. As Buldan and her companions were still inside the police circle, the press had difficulty following the statement, and during this time, it was observed that plainclothes police officers were arguing with the press. The detention process was completed by 14:20, when lawyers learned that Hanım Tosun, one of the Saturday Mothers, had experienced heart rhythm issues due to the heat and lack of air in the detention vehicle, which was confirmed during a health check.