WUNRN
TURKEY - SUPPORT WOMEN'S RIGHTS
ACTIVISTS IN TURKEY
TURKISH WOMEN'S COALITION STATEMENT
SUPPORTED BY EUROPEAN WOMEN'S LOBBY TURKEY
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The Women’s Coalition has
prepared the Statement that the EWL (European Women’s Lobby) Coordination for
We are
calling upon the government: stop police violence and the aggressive,
threatening and condescending attitude against the people.
The peaceful sit-in began to
counter planned construction at the Taksim Gezi park, which would replace one
of downtown Istanbul’s few green spaces with a shopping mall, has evolved into
nationwide demonstrations and people’s resistance as a result of the brutal
police violence and firing with tear gas and water cannons on the
protestors.Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s disrespect for the universal
human rights and related laws, his condescending attitude and the style of
language he continually uses about the demonstrators, added further to the
growing discontent and demonstrations in a very short period of time.
This attitude, which have further
narrowed down the space for basic rights and freedoms and which that continues
to ignore people’s right to assembly and participation has caused people to
take refuge on the streets in thousands of numbers. Regretfully, the Prime
Minister continues to view every differing views, protests and demonstrators as
‘secret enemy forces’,’marjinals’, and as ‘traitors’ and thus reflects an
extreme intolerance for any form of dissent. He has also encouraged the society
to divide as two opposing poles by calling the demonstrators as ‘others’ with
hidden interests to topple his government. We believe on the contrary that
It should be remembered that it
is the prime responsibility of the state to secure and protect basic human
rights and freedoms, under all conditions.
EWL (European Women’s Lobby)
Coordination for