Turkey, 45 students in prison. They protested against Erdogan in 2012
The court handed ten months in prison to each of the university students. Four years ago they participated in a protest during a visit of the then Prime Minister to the Middle East Technical University. The opposition slams prison as the government "response" to protesters and critics.
Istanbul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A Turkish court sentenced 45 students to four years in prison for participating in demonstrations in 2012 against the then Prime Minister (now President) Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The university students had joined the protests, organized during a visit of the former Prime Minister to their university. This morning the court handed down 10 months in prison to each one of them.
According to the court of the students are guilty of breaking the law, by impeding Erdogan’s political and institutional functions. The reference is to the visit of the then Prime Minister to the Middle East Technical University, to watch the launch into orbit of a Turkish spy satellite, aboard a Chinese rocket, live via video link.
At the time the police intervened to disperse the mass student protest, using tear gas and water cannons. The opposition had strongly criticized the police intervention, judging it too harsh for such a small demonstration.
Aykan Erdemir, former deputy of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), condemns the judges’ decision: "It is sad to note– he told AFP - that prison sentences are the answer always used by the government toward protesters and critics. "
The sentences come in the context of a series of purges, convictions and attacks against critical voices, dissent, opponents, intellectuals, military, public officials and ordinary citizens launched by Ankara following the failed coup of the night between July 15 and 16 . The attempt is still shrouded in mystery but it has allowed the Turkish leadership - and Erdogan – to launch a cleanup campaign that has resulted in the arrest of tens of thousands of people.
In recent days, Ankara has released updated data relating to these "purges". At least 76 thousand people were detained and other 16 thousand arrested for alleged ties to the Gülen movement. In total the number of persons under interrogation has exceeded 100 thousand.
Thousands of people have been driven from their jobs; of these, the majority were employees in the public education sector. Moreover, they are still at least 20 thousand vacancies among the army ranks following the arrest or killing of officers and soldiers involved in the coup.
Activists and human rights organizations have accused the Turkish government of using the pretext of terrorism and failed coup to strike at the opposition, dissidents and the Kurdish minority. Ankara is also reported to have used violence and torture on suspects, against whom there was no evidence of involvement. Young people still in school have also been detained because of suspected links with the movement of the spiritual leader Fethullah Gülen.
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