University students Nevin Tekin and Nehir Dizdar, members of the Workers' Party of Turkey (TİP), who were arrested on Sunday on the grounds of a protest banner they hung before Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin's visit to Kadıköy High School, have been released.
Tekin and Dizdar were met in front of Bakırköy Prison by TİP Chairman Erkan Baş, the students' lawyer Uğurcan Demirci, TİP Youth Secretary Atakan Özsan, and fellow party youth members.
Speaking after her release from prison, Nehir Dizdar stated that children should be safe in schools and workplaces. Dizdar said, "They cannot intimidate us with simple threats. We will continue to grow this struggle, a thousand times stronger and a thousand times more numerous."
Nevin Tekin also noted that young people and students are unable to access their rights, stating, "What we did was merely fulfilling our responsibility. It is the responsibility of every young person in this country who is pursuing a university education, who has their feet on the ground in some way, and who has developed themselves, to look out for their peers."
Drawing attention to the problems experienced in high schools and Vocational Training Centers (MESEM), Tekin said, "Young people, students, and children cannot access their rights in this country. We fought for this. And we will continue to fight this struggle from where we left off."
The students' lawyer, Uğurcan Demirci, emphasized that despite the release, the legal proceedings are ongoing. Demirci said, "Our struggle does not end here. As long as the MESEM massacres and school tragedies do not end, our struggle will continue."
In his statement, TİP Youth Secretary Atakan Özsan also stated that the struggle is not limited to the release of the two students, expressing the demand for a country where children do not die and where students and young people can access their rights.
News Source: 12punto
