ISTANBUL - Women, who were battered and detained while protesting the murder of Nagihan Akarsel who is a member of the Jineology Research Center, said: "We will increase her word, writings, pen and determination to struggle everywhere."

 

34 of those who gathered in Kadıköy on October 4 to protest the murder of academician Nagihan Akarsel, a member of the Jineology Research Center, who was attacked in the city of Sulaymaniyah in the Federated Kurdistan Region, were detained by the police. The women, who had been battered and taken into custody, were released the same day after their statements at the Istanbul Provincial Security Directorate. HDP Istanbul Provincial Organisation Co-spokesperson Besra İşsever and HDP Istanbul Provincial Organisation director Pınar Türkmen talked about the police violence they had during detention.

 

POLICE VIOLENCE

 

Stating that they were subjected to police violence during the protest they gathered for Nagihan Akarsel, Besra İşsever said: "We were detained on the grounds that there was an arrest warrant. We expressed that a statement to be made for a murdered woman friend is a constitutional right and we resisted for it. Some of our female friends were taken into custody by being beaten and dragged on the ground. They had broken noses."

 

HARASSMENT AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ATTACK

 

Stating that they were violently detained without any warning, Pınar Türk said: "Torture first starts by removing the members of the press from the area. This is the method they use to not get the image and information of torture. This is unfair and unlawful. Press releases are our human right. It is a method that should definitely be voiced. women are subjected to sexual and psychological attacks. It is a form of attack against women's bodies and the struggle for freedom. Any contact with our body, in whatever form, without our consent, is harassment. The law enforcement officers arbitrarily battered our female friends, pulling them by their hair. They are being detained by harming, pinching and kicking. These are abuses against our bodies."

 

'WE WILL CONTINUE THE STRUGGLE OF NAGIHAN'

 

Stating that Kurdish women have been subjected to similar oppression and violence for years, İşsever said: "We are aware that male-state violence is in our life in every field. We will continue to raise our voices against injustice and lawlessness everywhere. We are well aware that the justice system does not work in Turkey. We continue to expose these dirty war policies against women and youth everywhere. We are aware that the violence is also caused by the exposure of these dirty war policies. Despite everything, We will continue the struggle of Nagihan."