The Truth Justice Memory Association (Hafıza Merkezi), the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), the Turkish Human Rights Foundation (TİHV), and Amnesty International shared a public observation report regarding the 992nd week gathering of the Saturday Mothers/People on March 30, 2024.
The Saturday Mothers/People, since their first attempt to return to Galatasaray Square on April 8, 2023, for the 941st week following the Constitutional Court’s decision in the Maside Ocak case, have faced consistent police intervention. Except for May 13, every Saturday since then, their peaceful protests have been hindered, culminating in a significant police cordon on November 4, 2023, for their 971st week. However, from the 972nd week on November 11, 2023, they have been allowed to read their press statement in Galatasaray Square, provided that the gathering does not exceed ten people.
The observation report for the 992nd week highlights that previous weeks’ restrictions have become routine, stating:
“As known, the Saturday Mothers/People’s gatherings in Galatasaray Square consist of press statements asking about the fate of their disappeared relatives and demanding the identification of the perpetrators. The interventions and restrictions identified in this observation report adversely affect the efforts of the Saturday Mothers/People to create public awareness about the fate of the disappeared, as indicated by the Constitutional Court. Moreover, these types of interventions and restrictions continue the efforts to criminalize the activities of the Saturday Mothers/People, which the Constitutional Court has determined should be 'met with respect.' When considered along with the blockades and interventions of previous weeks, these restrictions by the law enforcement have become routine over 21 weeks. This situation demonstrates that interventions against the Saturday Mothers/People are continuing in a differentiated form and have reached the level of administrative harassment.
Additionally, the presence of police in the street where the Istanbul branch of the Human Rights Association (İHD) is located, the conspicuous waiting of plainclothes officers at multiple points along the route that the Saturday Mothers/People and human rights defenders can use between İHD Istanbul and Galatasaray Square, limiting the number of people who can attend the press statement in Galatasaray Square to 10, constant monitoring to ensure adherence to this limit during the assembly, multiple camera recordings of the statement, and recording of the citizens and journalists following the statement all constitute administrative restrictions by law enforcement. These restrictions can have a deterrent effect on the exercise of the right to freedom of assembly for the Saturday Mothers/People and human rights defenders, and this deterrent effect itself constitutes an intervention in the freedom of assembly.”
