Call from the Parent Solidarity Network: 'Release our children!'

Following the operation carried out on March 19 against the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) and CHP-run municipalities, approximately 9 young people, including a lawyer, who were arrested for participating in protest actions that began across the country, spent another holiday in prison.

While 292 of the 301 young people arrested since March 19 have been released, 9 people remain in custody at Silivri Prison.

RELEASE OUR CHILDREN

Reacting to the fact that the young people have still not been released despite three months having passed, the Parent Solidarity Network drew attention to the illegality of the ongoing process. Emphasizing that the young people were arrested solely for exercising their constitutional rights, the statement called for the immediate release of the detained youth.

The statement, which noted that "while the article stating that everyone has the right to hold meetings and protest marches without prior permission is the most fundamental article of the Constitution, our children have been detained for days," continued: "While no one can be accused because of their thoughts and opinions, and while no one can be deprived of their right to education and training, and while the most fundamental constitutional article states that no one can be subjected to torture or ill-treatment, and no one can be subjected to punishment or treatment incompatible with human dignity, these rights are being ignored." 

Pointing out that the most fundamental constitutional rights of the detained youth are being violated, the statement included the following: "No one can be declared guilty without a court decision. While a person's right to life and their physical and moral integrity cannot be touched, our children are being held in prison for days without any concrete evidence of a crime or a valid reason for detention. They are facing another holiday behind bars."

Reminding that thousands of people were released with the Execution Law passed by Parliament, the statement included the following:

"Within the scope of the execution law, many people who should be tried for serious criminal offenses such as death, murder, violence against women and children, corruption, theft, and drug trafficking have either been released or are being tried without arrest. In contrast, the freedoms of our children, who only exercised their constitutional rights, are being restricted; their right to education is being taken away. We, as mothers and fathers, dream of a country where our children are not arrested, not restricted by house arrest or judicial control, and not tried in courtrooms. We want our children, who are our future, to regain their freedom as soon as possible."

News Source: 12punto