Dozens of women arrested in Turkey during demonstrations against feminicide

In Turkey, this weekend, dozens of women were arrested during two different protests against violence against women. According to Turkish opposition media, around forty arrests were made today. The women were reportedly detained by police in Istanbul’s Kadiköy district, where they allegedly held a protest.

The first demonstration was on Friday, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. This day was established in 1999 by the United Nations.

A huge police force was on the move in Istanbul that day. The authorities had banned the demonstrations, claiming that public order threatened to be disturbed. Taksim Square and Gezi Park were fenced off, side streets were closed, and water cannon vehicles were ready.

Dozens of women who tried to go to the demonstration were stopped and arrested. “My whole group has been arrested,” one of them said de Volkskrant. In the photos of BBC Turkey on Instagram shows how a small group of women are surrounded by police officers.

According to the action group We Will Stop Femicide, at least 349 women have been murdered this year in Turkey by a man from their background. The organization maintains statistics on feminicides (feminicides) and reports the figures monthly on its website.

The Turkish judiciary wants to dissolve this group for women’s rights, which has been fighting against feminicide and violence for years. The national platform with branches in dozens of cities has been accused of “immoral behavior”, fighting against “family structures” and organizing demonstrations.

Earlier this year, the OM called for a ban on the entire organization. The case is still pending.

Last year the Turkish government abandoned the Istanbul Convention (officially the European Convention on preventing and combating violence against women). This international treaty forces governments to address violence against women at its root. Thousands of women then took to the streets to protest against this.

President Erdogan gave a speech Friday on the International Day against Violence against Women in which he said that violence against women is an “attack on human dignity” and must be fought. The Turkish government claims that it does not need the Istanbul Convention for this, but that it has a plan of action more in line with Turkish values ​​and principles.

See here a report correspondent Mitra Nazar made in 2020 on demonstrations against violence against women: