The Truth Justice Memory Center (Hafıza Merkezi), Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV), and Amnesty International have shared a public report on their observations of the 985th weekly gathering of the Saturday Mothers/People, held on February 10, 2024.
The Saturday Mothers/People, a group protesting for the whereabouts of their disappeared relatives in Turkey, faced police obstruction and arrests while attempting to gather at Galatasaray Square in Istanbul on April 8, 2023, for the 941st week, following the Constitutional Court's ruling in favor of Maside Ocak, one of the members of the group.
Although members of the group were not detained at the 971st gathering on November 4, 2023, their peaceful demonstrations at Galatasaray Square have been restricted since then, with permission granted for press statements in the square limited to a group of ten people from the 972nd week onwards, dated November 11, 2023.
The observation report on the 985th weekly gathering noted:
"The meeting of the Saturday Mothers/People, concluding with the laying of carnations at Galatasaray Square, lasted approximately 28 minutes. Contrary to previous weeks when 'security circles' on İstiklal Street prevented their gatherings and led to detentions of family members and human rights advocates, this time, the 28-minute event did not negatively impact the normal flow of life, pedestrian and vehicle traffic, or the operations of local businesses in and around İstiklal Street and Galatasaray Square. Plainclothes police officers and riot police, along with officers of unidentified ranks, were observed starting to gather around the Human Rights Association (İHD) Istanbul Branch's street at 12:45 PM."
The report further stated:
"As is known, the gatherings of the Saturday Mothers/People at Galatasaray Square consist of a press statement demanding answers about the fate of their forcibly disappeared relatives and the identification of the perpetrators. The interventions and restrictions identified in this observation report negatively impact their efforts to raise public awareness about the fate of their disappeared relatives, as pointed out 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 Court has recognized as deserving respect. Considering the previous weeks' obstructions and interventions, these ongoing restrictions for 14 weeks have become a routine practice by law enforcement. This indicates that the interventions of law enforcement towards the Saturday Mothers/People are continuing in a differentiated manner and have reached a level of administrative harassment.
In addition, the police presence on the street where the İHD Istanbul Branch is located, the limitation on the number of people allowed to participate in the press statement, and the recording and photographing of the statement are administrative harassment practices by law enforcement. These practices could create a deterrent effect on the freedom of assembly for the Saturday Mothers/People and human rights defenders, and this deterrent effect in itself constitutes an intervention in the right to freedom of assembly."
