- Title: Turkish police break up protests marking 150th day of teachers' hungerstrike
- Date: 5th August 2017
- Summary: ANKARA, TURKEY (AUGUST 5, 2017) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS MARCHING AND CLAPPING PROTESTERS HOLDING A BANNER READING (Turkish): "150th day of hunger strike", VOICE ON LOUDSPEAKER ASKING PROTESTERS TO LEAVE POLICE IN PLAIN CLOTHES TEARING THE BANNER, DETAINING PROTESTERS RIOT POLICE SPRAYING PEPPER SPRAY AT PROTESTERS, PROTESTER FALLING DOWN, POLICE SPRAYING PROTESTER AFFECTED BY PEPPER SPRAYING LAYING ON GROUND (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) PROTESTER, VELI SACLIK SAYING: "I have been fired from my job through a government decree. For the past 270 days we have been asking to get our jobs back, along with Nuriye and Semih (teachers on hunger strike). Because of this the government is responding to us with detentions and batons. But we will keep on resisting in front of the human rights statue (a monument to human rights in Ankara where people who had been fired from their jobs gathered in protest)." (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) PROTESTER, ADNAN VURAL SAYING: "I have been fired through a government decree on the 14th of July. I am a health worker, a defender of human rights. We have been attending protests in the name of human rights and now we are here to get the lives of Nuriye and Semih back." ISTANBUL, TURKEY (AUGUST 5, 2017) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS CARRYING BANNERS READING (Turkish): "150th day of hunger strike" POLICE IN PLAIN CLOTHES DETAINING PROTESTERS, PROTESTERS SITTING DOWN VARIOUS OF RIOT POLICE DETAINING PROTESTERS POLICE DETAINING PROTESTERS POLICEMEN PUTTING CABLE TIE ON WOMAN'S WRISTS POLICEMEN LOADING PROTESTERS ONTO BUS
- Embargoed: 19th August 2017 18:18
- Keywords: police break up protest marking hungerstrike police spray pepper spray on protesters
- Location: ANKARA AND ISTANBUL, TURKEY
- City: ANKARA AND ISTANBUL, TURKEY
- Country: Turkey
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Civil Unrest
- Reuters ID: LVA0016SVPMBR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Police broke up protests on Saturday (August 5) marking the 150th day of a hunger strike by two Turkish teachers in detention. They used pepper spray to disperse the protesters in the capital Ankara and detained a small group in Istanbul.
Literature professor Nuriye Gulmen and primary school teacher Semih Ozakca went on hunger strike on March 9 to protest against a government crackdown in which they lost their jobs following last year's failed coup. The authorities locked them away in May saying their protest was driven by DHKP-C, a militant leftist group deemed terrorist by Turkey.
The teachers have said their hunger strike is aimed at highlighting the plight of around 150,000 state employees suspended or sacked after last July's failed putsch, which president Tayyip Erdogan blames on followers of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. Gulen denies involvement.
The European Court of Human Rights rejected on Thursday (August 3) a request by the two Turkish teachers to order Ankara to release them on health grounds. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
