Human Rights Monument in Ankara, which is under police blockade for a year, has become a symbol for the State of Emergency, reflecting the state of human rights in the country. The monument stands in one of the most crowded streets in the capital city; being a meeting point for the protests and demonstrations of different groups and organizations over the years. However, everything changed with the State of Emergency. The monument has now become a symbol for the State of Emergency…
Five days after the coup attempt on 15 July 2016, Turkey entered an unprecedented period with the declared State of Emergency. The State of Emergency was extended for the seventh time in April. According to the reports based on the data announced by the Ministry of the Interior, 160 thousand people were taken into custody, 228,137 people were arrested and 116 thousand people were dismissed from public duty within the 20-month period of State of Emergency.
In the meantime, the monument itself was taken into custody on 23 May 2017. Two educators, Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça, were taken into custody with a house raid after performing a hunger strike, asking for their jobs back. One day later, the educators were arrested and the Human Rights Monument was surrounded with barricades. The Human Rights Monument today is becoming a centerpiece for one of the longest protests, with its 561st day today. Both the protests in front of the monument and the heavy police intervention against protesters continue.
23.05.2018
dw.com