İstanbul Branch Human Rights Association and Turkey Human Rights Foundation İstanbul Representative Office made an announcement on December 10 World Human Rights Day in Sultanahmet Square and they called people for the events to be organized during the Human Rights Week on December 10-17. Human Rights Association (İHD) İstanbul Branch President Gülseren Yoleri, General President of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) Şebnem Korur Fincancı, İstanbul Representative of TİHV Ümit Efe and many others attended to the statement.

 

At the action, which the protesters unfurled banner reading "The 69th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, not OHAL human rights right now”, the placards of “No to violence against women”, “Release the prisoner journalists”, “Freedom for LGBT individuals, “No to transphobia and homophobia”, “Remove the obstacle of Thought and expression freedom”, “The right of education in the mother tongue is our right”, “Remove state of emergency(OHAL) and statutory decrees (KHKs)”, “Conscientious objection: No to guns and violence” were carried.

 

During the statement, people shouted slogans “Human is human with human rights”, “Humanity honor will beat the torture”, “Not OHAL human rights right now”

 

'A period of heavy violations'

 

Pointing that we are facing with a period that the right violations get intense, TİHV General President prof. Sebnem Korur Fincancı, emphasized that right violations are getting worse. Şebnem said that over 150 thousands of people were dismissed from their duties in Turkey and stated that the arrangements were made to lift employment security completely. Şebnem also added, “Hundreds of journalists were removed from their duties. Many press foundations, newspapers, TVs and radios were closed. Over 600 lawyers were sent to the jail. Thousands of academicians stand trial for wanting peace. At a time when the tortures became a part of life, we come together to say, never again. We came together to say ‘Never again’. This week is a special week. We call people in Turkey to come this event, which will be organized this week.”