Has BİRTEK-SEN General President Mehmet Türkmen been arrested? Why was he arrested?
Following reports of the arrest of BİRTEK-SEN General President Mehmet Türkmen—who was detained and released on February 14 after the Antep Governorship banned protests initiated by workers in Antep Başpınar against low wage impositions—many people have begun searching online for information on who Mehmet Türkmen is, his age, his hometown, whether he has been arrested, and the reasons behind his arrest. Here are the details...
12punto
BİRTEK-SEN General President Mehmet Türkmen had been released after being detained on February 14 due to the Gaziantep Governorship's ban on protests initiated by workers against low wage increases in the Başpınar Organized Industrial Zone (OSB) in Gaziantep. Türkmen was detained again on February 16. Referred directly to the court without giving a statement to the prosecutor, Türkmen was arrested.
HAS MEHMET TÜRKMEN BEEN ARRESTED?
Having completed his police statement, Türkmen was referred to the prosecutor's office this morning. However, the prosecutor did not take his statement. Türkmen was referred to the court with a request for his arrest. Türkmen was arrested by the court to which he was referred.
Gaziantep Bar Association President Bülent Duran, who wanted to accompany Türkmen during the taking of his statement, was not allowed inside. Regarding the exclusion of lawyers from the statement process, Duran stated, "There are those responsible for this; this is an instruction, this is an order. An arrest decision will come out of here. We have a duty to protect rights and freedoms, and the right to organize for everyone in this country. The law is one. The law is one. When the law is interpreted, it is not interpreted according to the person or the office."
UNION CALLS FOR SUPPORT
BİRTEK-SEN issued a call for support in a statement regarding the investigation. The union's statement is as follows:
"This investigation is a direct attack on the right to unionize. Calling on workers to be unionized, to act together, and to organize is a constitutional right and the duty of every unionist. This investigation has been launched not only against Mehmet Türkmen but against the struggle of the Antep working class, who are forced to work in unregulated and miserable conditions, to seek their rights against the bosses. Launching an investigation on behalf of the boss, even without a complaint from the boss, is trampling the law underfoot for the sake of the bosses. Imposing a Governorship ban on workers who want to increase their bread and then trying to imprison their union is a crime in itself.''