gezi park protests Brutal denial of the right to peaceful assemBly in turkey
on 30 may 2013, police cleared gezi park in central istanbul of a small group of protestors opposed to its destruction. the denial of their right to protest and the violence used by the police touched a nerve and a wave of anti-government demonstrations swept across turkey.
the authorities’ reaction was brutal and unequivocal. over the next few months, police repeatedly used unnecessary and abusive force, including tear gas, water cannons and beatings, to prevent and disperse peaceful demonstrations. By early July over 8,000 people had been injured. there is strong evidence linking the deaths of three protestors to the abusive use of force by police.
While little progress has been made in investigating and bringing police officers responsible for abuses to justice, thousands of demonstrators have been detained; hundreds risk prosecution simply for organising or attending the protests. gezi park Journalists, doctors and lawyers who documented the events, supported the protestors or defended their rights have been arrested, beaten, protests threatened and harassed, as the government has sought to silence and smear those speaking out against it. BRUtal dEnIal Of thE RIght tO pEacEfUl assEmBly this report documents the human rights violations that have In tURkEy accompanied the crushing crackdown on the gezi park protest movement and calls on the turkish authorities to respect the right to amnesty.org freedom of assembly, stop police abuses and end unfair prosecutions against peaceful protestors. Index: EUR 44/022/2013 October 2013 CONTENTS
Introduction ...... 5
Amnesty International’s response to Gezi Park protests...... 7
Denial of the right to peaceful assembly ...... 9
Protections to the right to peaceful assembly in international and national law...... 9
The authorities’ response to Gezi Park protests ...... 12
Arbitrary denial of the right to peaceful protest ...... 13
The right to protest in Taksim