POLICE ATTACK ON THE FUNERAL PLANNED TO BE HELD FOR GRUPÂ YORUM GUITARIST IBRAHIM GĂKĂEK WHO LOST HIS LIFE ON HUNGERÂ STRIKE!
3 ATTORNEYS WHO WERE AT THE VENUE FOR THEIR CLIENT IBRAHIMÂ GĂKĂEK WERE DETAINED!
Grup Yorum Guitarist Ibrahim Gökçek lost his life on May 07, 2020. He was on hunger strike for 323 days until 5 May 2020 , when he suspended his protest. He could not be saved despite all the efforts of the physicians. He died of reasons related to his indefinite hunger strike. In accordance with the last will of Ibrahim Gökçek, a commemoration was planned to be held in the âcemeviâ âwhere the Alevi community get together- in the Gazi Neighbourhood (Istanbul) on 8 May 2020. After the commemoration and march, his corpse was going to be
transferred to his hometown Kayseri to lay him to rest.
However, the police blockaded the Gazi Neighbourhood in the morning. They did not let anyone enter the âcemeviâ where Ibrahimâs funeral was to be held. Around 50 people had already entered the âcemeviâ earlier. They continued to wait there. The police attacked the people who wanted to participate in the commemoration, and used gas bombs. Many were detained. Then they started to attack the people inside the âcemeviâ, using gas bombs. They forcefully entered the âcemeviâ, breaking the doors. They wanted to seize Ibrahim Gökçekâs corpse. In the meantime, our colleagues, Seda Saraldi, Didem Baydar Ănsal and intern attorney Doga Incesi who were standing by the morgue where Gökçekâs corpse was laid, and tried to keep Gökçekâs corpse intact. The police reacted by detaining our colleagues and many others.
The police could thus seize the corpse of Ibrahim Gökçek. His family was told that they would be taking back their sonâs corpse on the road out of Istanbul. Gökçekâs family took the corpse. They departed to Kayseri in order to lay the guitarist to rest. The police accompanied them.
The event today -the police attacks first on the people outside the âcemeviâ, and then the people inside, the seizing of a dissident guitaristâs corpse- all are illustrative of the increase in the extra-legal measures taken against the regimeâs opponents in the country.
The family, friends, and attorneys of Ibrahim Gökçek as well as those who followed the artistic works of dissident music group, Group Yorum were denied one of the basic universal rights -âthe right to hold a funeral serviceâ. Ibrahim Gökçek, who had already been deprived of his right to freedom to express himself through his music, by the targeting and defamation of the Grup Yorum. Besides, 3 members of the Progressive Lawyers Association, 2 attorneys and 1 intern attorney were detained due to the fact that they defended the right to hold the funeral service.
We call on the authorities to ensure the immediate release of our colleagues and to give an end to illegal interventions to Ibrahim Gökçekâs funeral.
We call for our colleagues worldwide to stand in solidarity with the ĂHD to persist in struggling against rights violations!
Long live international solidarity!