December 4, 2024
Cited article by Reuters
HRRC strongly condemns political oppression and the abuse of the justice system. It is crucial to protect the right to peaceful protest and ensure that dissenting voices are not unjustly silenced.
News Brief
Nine protesters were arrested and are awaiting trial for disrupting President Tayyip Erdoğan during a televised speech. The protesters accused the Turkish government of exporting oil to Israel despite having a trade embargo in place.
Outraged by Erdoğan's failure to keep consistent with the official pro-Palestine rhetoric, the protesters shouted slogans such as, "Ships are carrying bombs to Gaza" and "Stop fueling genocide". The demonstrators were forcibly removed by police and prosecutors have charged them with "insulting the president and participating in an illegal demonstration." Human rights advocates and political opposition have criticized the detentions.