Dear (media outlet/editor/etc), Tayyip Erdogan, the Prime Minister of Turkey must be jealous of his neighbor Assad; he is trying to establish himself as the new pariah of the middle east. On the evening of June 15th, the police have engaged in the most brutal crackdown thus far against the protestors. As I write this, schools, the Turkish Bar association, private hospitals, army bases, the Istanbul German consulate, and many hotels have opened their doors to provide safety from the police onslaught. Turkish parliamentarians have placed themselves in front of water cannons. Thousands of people are walking across the bridge to support the protestors. Universities such as Stanford and Oxford have express grave concerns with the Prime Minister’s response. Please bear witness to what is happening: Tactics of the Police The most common tactics of the police involve the shooting of gas canisters directly at the head of peaceful protestors (responsible for skull fractures). These gas canisters, containing chemicals which impair breathing, are also shot into confined areas, which amounts to the lethal use of a non-lethal weapon. The only reason protestors survive this assault is due to the use of makeshift or store-bought gas masks. There have been reports from the June 15th crackdown that the pepper gas includes an ingredient which causes drastic bleeding from the nose. When the police are not using their water cannons to run over protestors, they are shooting them directly at protestors. Recently, the Istanbul Chamber of Doctors has stated that they believe that there is a chemical in the water being used by the water cannons, which is causing extreme burning of the skin. To escape accountability for their actions, police have prevented journalists from documenting events, and have been shown wearing uniforms hiding their identification numbers. This brutality is conducted with impunity. The Hotel Divan The Hotel Divan was being used to gather children who were separated from their families during the chaos, as well as used to establish a makeshift clinic in which doctors were treating the injured. The police threw gas bombs into these areas providing shelter to injured people and children.The brutality of this cannot be overstated: the police have used gas bombs against children as young as four who were trying to find their families. Attacks on Medical Professionals and Facilities The police have systematically attacked doctors and and gassed hospitals, clinics, and makeshift clinics, a strategy which is a breach of the Geneva Conventions. Lawyers Recently, the police have also attacked lawyers in the courthouse. It begs the question: what democracy can exist when the agents of the judicial system are imprisoned by the police force under the control of the prime minister? Victims The Turkish Medical Association has compiled a list of the casualties of the past 2 weeks, and as of the afternoon of June 14 had reached 7495. These include 4 deaths, 10 people who have lost their eyes, 91 people who have suffered head traumas, and 55 people who are seriously injured. 4 people have life threatening conditions. However, we expect that tonight, June 15th, the casualties will have grown significantly, due to the drastic reduction of restraint shown by the police, and the increase in the aggressiveness of their tactics. Coverage by US Media It has been reported in our American press that the Prime Minister has offered concessions. He has offered no such concessions. After meeting a group from Taksim Solidarity, the Prime Minister stated that he would take the issue to the court. Two significant facts must be considered here. First, the court had already denied the Prime Minister this demolition, prior to the protests. The Prime Minister moved in bulldozers one morning despite being denied this ruling. This may not appear as dramatic as it truly is at first glance: the PM superseded his judiciary. There is no democracy without judiciary. The Prime Minister thinks it is a concession to obey the law. Secondly, these protests have evolved over much more than the demolition of a park. The Prime Minister has driven his police force to kill non-violent protestors. More are blind, in comas, and many thousands are injured. Moreover, he has offered no apologies. He continues to promote his unapologetic rhetoric, instead goading his supporters into initiating a civil war on his behalf. The Turkish Minister of European Union has said that all people in the park will be treated as a terrorist. Given the increasingly dangerous attitude of the Prime Minister, it is surprising that President Obama has yet to voice an opinion, much less a condemnation against this brutal repression of civil rights and this usage of state-sanctioned violence against non-violent protestors. At this moment, a developing-dictatorship is threatening a potentially vibrant democracy; what does the beacon of democracy have to say about this crisis? References: 1. Turkish Medical Association’s compilation of casualties: ttb.org.tr/index.php/Haberler/veriler-3842.html 2. Turkish Medical Association statement, English translation: translatingtaksim.wordpress/2013/06/14/doctors-respond-to-ministry-of-health/ 3. Istanbul Bar Association statement, English translation: translatingtaksim.wordpress/2013/06/15/istanbul-bar-association-statement/ 4. Trade Union of Turkish Judges to PM, English translation of : translatingtaksim.wordpress/2013/06/12/letter-from-turkish-judges-to-prime-minister-erdogan/ 5. Police kick man trapped beneath water cannon as he shouts for help: youtube/watch?v=dm6bQBqV7VI 6. Police operate with immunity by removing their ID numbers from their helmets: https://facebook/photo.php?v=10201387382989241 6. Protestors in Turkey have prepared and shared a 20 gigabyte video archive documenting the origins of the protest, police brutality, Erdogan’s statements, protestors press releases, documentaries, and interviews from May 21st to June 10th. https://anonfiles/file/aa79cf0ef85e43b9ff59651301a9c88d
Posted on: Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:35:31 +0000
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