Category Archives: Freedom of Association

Take action! The case of Sultani Acibuca

Posted on August 9, 2013 by heissenstat

A grandmother threatened with prison for speaking for peace.  That, in a nutshell, is the case of Sultani Acibuca, member of a group of mothers who have lost or had sons imprisoned as part of the conflict between the Turkish … Continue reading →

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More police violence against peaceful protestors in Istanbul

Posted on June 22, 2013 by heissenstat

Thousands gathered with flowers in #taksim square in #istanbul but police used tear gas and water cannon again. #gezipark — muratcekic (@muratcekic) June 22, 2013 Turkish protestors have demonstrated remarkable creativity in their response to government efforts to stifle their … Continue reading →

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Amnesty: Erdogan bears responsibilty

Posted on June 11, 2013 by heissenstat

After the festival-like scenes in Taksim Square this past weekend, the violence of the police crackdown today shocked many.  For his part, Prime Minister Erdogan struck a defiant tone, announcing in a televised speech that he would shown no more … Continue reading →

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Gezi Park goes global

Posted on May 31, 2013 by heissenstat

It has been a long hard night in Istanbul and we still know little about the exact scale of the protests (though, by all accounts, they were massive) or the exact extent of police abuses (though there is little question … Continue reading →

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US State Department voices concern at crackdown in Turkey

Posted on May 31, 2013 by heissenstat

The U.S. State Department has joined in the chorus of voices concerned by Turkey’s crackdown on protestors in Istanbul. The Spokesman of U.S. State Department Jen Psaki said that Washington was concerned about the number of injured in the police … Continue reading →

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Take action now!

Posted on May 31, 2013 by heissenstat

Amnesty has issued an urgent call to take action on the continuing protests in Istanbul.  Protesters have grown in numbers from a few hundred earlier this week to thousands today.  Protests are currently spreading from Istanbul to other cities. As … Continue reading →

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Amnesty condemns excessive force at Gezi Park

Posted on May 30, 2013 by heissenstat

Even after the shocking images of earlier this week, the violence of today’s crackdown against protestors in Gezi Park was remarkable. In a statement issued today, Amnesty International has condemned “the use of excessive force, including pepper spray, against peaceful … Continue reading →

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More disturbing Images from Istanbul

Posted on May 29, 2013 by heissenstat

It has become a grim pattern.  Peaceful protests confronted by legions of police.  The use of water cannons or, as was the case yesterday, tear gas. Allegations of excessive force, which are almost never investigated.  According to media sources, security … Continue reading →

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Amnesty International Annual Report 2013 on Turkey: Ten Major Issues Highlighted.

Posted on May 23, 2013 by heissenstat

Amnesty International has just issued its annual report for 2013 and the section on Turkey is, once again, grim reading.  It included ten major issues of concern 1. Some of the worst abuses remain in the area of freedom of … Continue reading →

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Amnesty on the May Day Violence in Turkey: Denial of right to peaceful protest and excessive use of force

Posted on May 3, 2013 by heissenstat

“Mayday celebrations in Istanbul, Turkey were again marred by police violence and attempts by the authorities to prevent demonstrations from going ahead,” Amnesty International declared in a statement released today. [Turkish version of the statement is available here]. In truth, … Continue reading →

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