Turkish police teams on Sunday detained 17 people involved in International Women’s Day celebrations in Ankara and Tekirdağ provinces.
International Women’s Day is marked every March 8.
Ten people were detained in front of the Çankaya municipal building in Ankara, while seven were taken into custody in Tekirdağ’s Çorlu Heykel Square after they were subjected to disproportionate force by the police.
Turkish media reports said police took heavy security measures and used pepper spray to disperse the crowds where the celebrations were taking place and that the number of detainees could increase further.
When some of the women resisted the police, the police attacked the participants who continued to chant slogans such as “Long live March 8,” “Long live women’s solidarity” and “We won’t keep silent, we are not afraid and we will not bow down.”
The freedom of assembly has been severely restricted in Turkey due to a state of emergency that went into effect following a failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016 and is still in force.