The Lawyers for Freedom Association (ÖHD) Urfa Branch published a report on police interventions in protests held in Urfa center, Suruç, and Viranşehir throughout January 2026. According to the report, at least 20 people were detained in six separate interventions within a month, 13 people were arrested, 1 woman was placed under house arrest, and 3 children were placed under judicial control. ÖHD stated that at least 10 of those detained were subjected to torture and ill-treatment. The report included practices such as beating, choking, handcuffing behind the back, prolonged detention with plastic handcuffs, insults, threats, denial of toilet access, and restricted access to health services. It was noted that a person shot with plastic bullets in Suruç was at risk of losing an eye, and that a mother with a two-and-a-half-month-old baby was detained in Viranşehir. Dicle Aksu, manager of the ÖHD Urfa Branch, stated that peaceful actions were systematically obstructed and that what happened was contrary to democratic rights.
January 30, 2026
ANFNews