Police raided hunger-striking educators' home

Educators Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça were detained at their home on May 22 in Ankara
Nuriye Gülmen (L) and Semih Özakça (R).
Monday, 22 May 2017 07:06

Turkish authorities detained an academic and a teacher in Ankara who have been on a hunger strike for over two months in protest against their dismissal in the purge that followed last year's failed coup, media reported Monday.

Educators Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça, who had been on a hunger strike for 75 days to protest their dismissal by the Turkish AKP government, were detained at their home on May 22 in Ankara. 

Police raided the two educators' home and detained them ten hours after they signed the papers at the police station on the decision of judicial control. 

Özakça and Gülmen, both were fired under the state of emergency decrees declared after last July's failed coup attempt aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's AKP government. 
Former primary school teacher Özakça and academic Gülmen began their hunger strike 75 days ago and have been surviving on water alone.

Gülmen said on Twitter that police from the "political department were trying to enter the house. They are breaking the door at this moment". "Damn fascism! Long live our hunger strike resistance! We want our jobs back! We have not surrendered and we will not surrender!" Özakça also wrote on Twitter around 1:00 am (2200 GMT) saying: "Our home is being raided".

Turkish police several times broke up the gathering of supporters of Özakça and Gülmen and briefly detained more than 10 people. 

ACTORS AND ACTRESSES MARCHED FOR GÜLMEN AND ÖZAKÇA

Members of Kadıköy theatre platform, based in Istanbul, marched for Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça.

The platform members had recently started to read aloud the declaration of the platform after each theatre performance, holding signs that read "#Let Nuriye and Semih Live" and "#Istanbul, speak up!". As part of their protests, they photographed and taped their demonstration for a widespread social media propaganda. Last weekend, the platform members took to the streets in Istanbul to distribute their declaration leaflets and present a street performance of mime.

"HUNGER STRIKE IS AGAINST ISLAM", SAYS RULING PARTY DEPUTY

As solidarity protests with dismissed educators continue throughout Turkey, the ruling AKP government had been keeping silent since the start of the hunger strike, for more than 70 days.

The AKP government broke its silence on May 20. Turkish Parliament human rights commission member Said Yüce, also a deputy of the AKP commented that hunger is a strike is against Islam and "only God can take away one's life". Yüce also noted that relevant authorities are working on the case of two dismissed educators on hunger strike.

The hunger strike of the two dismissed educators has recently reached its critical stage. They were unlawfully dismissed from their jobs with a statutory decree of the ruling AKP government. They went on a hunger strike to claim back their jobs and protest AKP government's unlawful practices.