Articles - Turkey
19 January 2012
Turkey

A Turkish court this week sentenced a man to life in prison for inciting the murder of prominent ethnic Armenian journalist Hrant Dink five years ago, but cleared all 19 suspects of belonging to a terrorist organisation, reports IFEX member in Turkey the IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET), along with other IFEX members.
21 December 2011
Turkey
At least 25 journalists were among more than 40 people arrested in a nationwide sweep in Turkey yesterday, allegedly for having links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), report the IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The arrests bring the number of journalists in Turkish jails to more than 90, making Turkey one of the world's worst for detaining journalists, says BIANET.
30 November 2011
Turkey

As the trial began for 10 journalists accused of an anti-government conspiracy, free expression organisations visited Turkey to witness the case and investigate the deteriorating state of press freedom, which has led to a total of 64 imprisoned journalists, say IFEX members.
2 November 2011
Turkey
A professor and a well-known publisher and his son were arrested as part of a recent crackdown on dissent and free speech, report the IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET), Initiative for Freedom of Expression (Antenna-TR) and other IFEX members. Around 50 people have been detained in the past week.
9 March 2011
Turkey

Thousands of people protested in Turkey on 4 March calling for an end to the repression of Turkish journalists in reaction to last week's detention of at least nine journalists and writers for their alleged links to the "Ergenekon" coup plots, report local IFEX members IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET) and the Initiative for Freedom of Expression (Antenna-TR), as well as other IFEX members.
12 January 2011
Turkey

Turkey continues to use jail sentences to silence Kurds, handing down an outlandish prison sentence of 138 years to the former editorial manager of Turkey's only Kurdish daily on charges of "spreading propaganda for the PKK", the militant Kurdistan Workers Party, report IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
20 October 2010
Turkey
Despite the Turkish Prime Minister's renewed interest in a permanent peace with the country's Kurdish population, anyone who speaks out on behalf of the ethnic minority continues to be faced with incredible jail sentences, report the IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET) and other news sources.
20 October 2010
International / Awards / Chechnya (Russia) / Turkey

A Russian editor who has valiantly addressed the conflicts in the Caucasus - despite a recent kidnapping attempt - is this year's winner of the International Publisher Association (IPA) Freedom to Publish Prize. Israpil Shovkhalov, editor-in-chief of the quarterly magazine "Dosh", won the 2010 prize for his "exemplary courage in upholding freedom to publish." A special award will also go to Turkish publisher Irfan Sanci.
11 August 2010
Awards / Turkey
The Journalists Association of Turkey (TGC) has honoured IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET) with a Prize for Press Freedom for "its work in the field of alternative and rights-based journalism and for its efforts in the fields of developing democracy, the right to be informed and establishing greater awareness among the public." BIANET used the opportunity to emphasise that the number of Turkish people facing sanctions under the Anti-Terror Law is rising every day, adding that 45 journalists are currently detained under allegations of having committed crimes on behalf of an illegal organisation in the scope of their journalistic work.
28 July 2010
Turkey
Turkish Internet law permits authorities to block access to thousands of websites. After blocking access to YouTube in 2008, the Turkish government recently shut down 44 IP addresses that offered alternative ways to access the Google-owned video-sharing website, report the IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). In response, two thousand people took to the street in protest against Internet restrictions.
16 June 2010
Turkey
Critical journalists, writers and opposition voices in Turkey are being gagged by a barrage of threats. They are facing long prison sentences simply for reporting on any content linked to the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), say the IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET) and other IFEX members. Free expression and press freedom violations also include speaking the Kurdish language, carrying out investigative reports critical of private sector companies, and anti-terror laws used to imprison journalists. But amid all the violations, a prominent publisher and an author were acquitted in separate cases.
9 June 2010
Israel / Palestine / Turkey
In the aftermath of Israel's raid on the flotilla delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza on 31 May, journalists released from custody are providing first-hand accounts of abuse, interrogation and confiscation of equipment by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). One journalist was killed in the deadly attack. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities have edited and distributed portions of video footage taken from foreign journalists.
19 May 2010
Turkey
A Turkish newspaper editor accused of being a member of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was sentenced to 166 years and six months in prison on 13 May, and charged with spreading PKK propaganda, report the IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). He had been facing an equally absurd 525 years in prison. The disturbing sentence comes on the heels of a new BIANET media monitoring report, which reveals that 216 people, including 69 journalists, were tried in free expression-related cases during the first three months of 2010.
17 March 2010
Turkey
A Turkish newspaper editor accused of spreading propaganda for the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was hit with a prison sentence on 2 March that is close to 11 years, reports the IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET). He and another journalist were also charged for writing critically about public officials. Meanwhile, another editor is facing a 525-year prison sentence for publishing information about the PKK, reports the International Press Institute (IPI). And even outside its borders, Turkish authorities wield influence in curbing press freedom, says BIANET.
17 February 2010
Turkey

A Kurdish editor was sentenced to over 21 years in prison on 9 February by a Turkish court for publishing reports and pictures of the banned Turkey Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK), report the Istanbul-based IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET), the International Press Institute (IPI) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
22 December 2009
Turkey
A Turkish editor was gunned down last week after leaving his office, report the IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET) and the International Press Institute (IPI). The editor had already received several death threats related to his coverage of local corruption.
27 March 2009
Turkey
27 March 2009
Turkey
25 March 2009
Turkey
Leyla Zana, a well-known political spokesperson for Kurds in Turkey, was sentenced to 10 years in jail last December for violating the penal code and the anti-terror law in nine different speeches. She is accused of having supported the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) and spreading propaganda. IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET) is asking you to join some of Turkey's highest profile activists and sign a petition for her release.
6 March 2009
Turkey
6 March 2009
Turkey
4 March 2009
Turkey

A 15-year-old boy will spend more than three years in prison for taking part in a protest organised by the Kurdish militant group the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a Turkish court ruled last month. He's just one of the dozens of children who has been tried or sentenced under anti-terrorism laws, report IFEX members in Turkey the Initiative for Freedom of Expression (Antenna-TR) and IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET).
29 August 2008
Turkey
29 August 2008
Turkey
28 August 2008
Turkey
Website owners and users in Turkey got so fed up with Internet censorship that they censored themselves in protest in August. IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET) reported that 412
23 May 2008
Turkey
23 May 2008
Turkey
20 May 2008
Turkey
A Turkish publisher who refused to abandon his campaign for freedom of thought - despite being given a three-year jail sentence - is this year's winner of the International Publishers' Association (IPA) Freedom to Publish Prize.
9 May 2008
Turkey
9 May 2008
Turkey
6 May 2008
Turkey
Reforms made last week to an article of Turkey's penal code that makes "insulting Turkishness" a crime punishable by prison terms do not go far enough, say free expression groups worldwide.
25 January 2008
Turkey
25 January 2008
Turkey
22 January 2008
Turkey
IFEX members in Turkey and around the world commemorated the first anniversary of the murder of Armenian editor Hrant Dink on 19 January, while reminding the Turkish government that true justice for Dink must include urgent reform to its penal code.
19 October 2007
Turkey
19 October 2007
Turkey
16 October 2007
Turkey
On 11 October 2007, an Istanbul criminal court sentenced Arat Dink, editor of the Armenian-Turkish magazine "Agos", and Sarkis Serkopyan, the magazine's licence owner, to one-year suspended prison terms. They were convicted under the notorious penal code Article 301 of "insult to Turkishness" for a 2006 report in which Dink's father, Hrant Dink, had referred to the mass killings and disappearances of Armenians in Turkey around 1915 as genocide.
5 October 2007
Turkey
5 October 2007
Turkey
2 October 2007
Turkey
A newspaper owner was shot to death in southeastern Turkey on 22 September, reports IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET).
20 July 2007
Turkey
20 July 2007
Turkey
17 July 2007
Turkey
Three journalists working at slain editor Hrant Dink's newspaper are back in court this week for "insulting Turkishness," a high-profile example of Turkey continuing to use the judicial system to curb free expression, report IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET) and other press freedom groups.
27 April 2007
Turkey
27 April 2007
Turkey
24 April 2007
Turkey
Employees of a Christian publishing house in Turkey were found slain last week, adding to a trend of attacks on free expression in the country, report the International Publishers' Association (IPA) and IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET).
24 February 2007
Turkey
24 February 2007
Turkey
21 February 2007
Turkey
21 February 2007
Turkey
21 February 2007
Turkey
The IPS Communication Foundation (Bianet) has issued a report on the state of free expression in Turkey in 2006, noting that the number of journalists, publishers and civil society activists prosecuted under Article 301 of the penal code more than doubled compared to the previous year.
14 February 2007
Turkey
Twenty-one IFEX members, led by the International Publishers Association (IPA) and International PEN, have joined the growing number of Turkish and international organisations that are calling for legal reform in the wake of the murder of prominent editor Hrant Dink.
27 January 2007
Turkey
26 January 2007
Turkey
24 January 2007
Turkey
Tens of thousands of mourners poured into the streets of Istanbul, Turkey, on 23 January 2007 to mark the death of editor Hrant Dink, whose murder last week stunned the country.
2 December 2006
Turkey
2 December 2006
Turkey
30 November 2006
Turkey
As Turkey seeks to join the European Union (EU), IFEX members are adding their voices to the growing international chorus calling on Turkey to reform its controversial defamation laws in order to meet the EU standards on freedom of expression and freedom of the press
8 November 2006
Turkey
8 November 2006
Turkey
18 October 2006
Turkey
Author Orhan Pamuk was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature on 12 October 2006. The Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of International PEN expressed delight at the choice, calling Pamuk a "writer of extraordinary merit" and "a great advocate for freedom of expression."
28 September 2006
Turkey
28 September 2006
Turkey
20 September 2006
Turkey
Representatives of International PEN will be traveling to Istanbul, Turkey this week to lend support to dozens of writers who have been charged for "insulting Turkishness" under a provision in the Criminal Code that has been widely criticised for being draconian.
21 July 2006
Turkey
21 July 2006
Turkey
19 July 2006
Turkey
Turkey's parliament has approved changes to an anti-terrorism law despite concerns that they will place new limits on free expression, according to IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF). The measures must still be ratified by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.
2 June 2006
Turkey
2 June 2006
Turkey
1 June 2006
Turkey
The IPS Communication Foundation brought together dozens of lawyers from across Turkey last week for a workshop to discuss the potential impact of the country's new Penal Code on freedom of expression and the media.
21 April 2006
Turkey
19 April 2006
Turkey
Turkish authorities are being urged to investigate the death of a young journalist in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, who was shot in the head two weeks ago during violent clashes between Kurdish demonstrators and security forces, report BIAnet, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).
5 April 2006
Turkey
4 April 2006
Turkey
22 March 2006
Turkey
In Turkey, political and economic reforms aimed at bringing the country closer to the European Union (EU) have sparked a nationalist backlash that is targeting journalists, writers and academics who favour EU membership, says a new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
20 March 2006
Turkey
15 March 2006
Turkey
15 March 2006
Turkey
17 February 2006
Turkey
16 February 2006
Turkey
8 February 2006
Turkey
While free expression advocates hailed a Turkish court's decision in January to throw out defamation charges against author Orhan Pamuk, a dozen other court cases involving journalists and publishers who face similar charges are ongoing. This month, IFEX members are helping to focus international attention on their cases by sending observers to the trials.
28 January 2006
Turkey
28 January 2006
Turkey
25 January 2006
Turkey
A Turkish court has thrown out defamation charges against internationally acclaimed author Orhan Pamuk, reports International PEN's Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC). While the move has been welcomed by free expression advocates, WiPC says another dozen or so writers and journalists are on trial for similar charges in Turkey, a country where criticism of the government carries serious consequences.
3 December 2005
Turkey
30 November 2005
Turkey
23 November 2005
Turkey
Turkey's bid to join the European Union has come under renewed criticism following reports that legal reforms aimed at satisfying EU standards on human rights are failing to safeguard freedom of expression and press freedom.
1 July 2005
Turkey
29 June 2005
Turkey
Cartoonists Rights Network (CRN) has awarded its 2005 Annual Award for Courage in Editorial Cartooning to Musa Kart of the Turkish daily newspaper "Cumhuriyet".
20 May 2005
Turkey
20 May 2005
Turkey
18 May 2005
Turkey
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has urged the Turkish government to amend its new Penal Code to bring it in line with international standards on free expression.
20 April 2005
Turkey
Abdullah Keskin, a publisher who has been legally persecuted in Turkey for publishing books in Kurdish, has won the 2005 Jeri Laber International Freedom to Publish Award. The annual prize honours book publishers outside the United States who show courage in the face of political persecution and restrictions on freedom of expression.
10 April 2005
Turkey
8 April 2005
Turkey
6 April 2005
Turkey
The Turkish government has delayed implementing a controversial new criminal code following vocal opposition from local journalists and international free expression groups who say it will lead to more restrictions on press freedom.
18 February 2005
Turkey
18 February 2005
Turkey
16 February 2005
Turkey
International free expression groups will be watching Turkey closely in March when a writer and a publisher accused of insulting the government and inciting hatred go on trial. The International Publishers Association (IPA), Norwegian PEN, the Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN (WiPC) and Human Rights Watch will be sending observers to Turkey to monitor the trials of Fikret Baskaya and Ragip Zarakolu.
24 December 2004
Turkey
24 December 2004
Turkey
22 December 2004
Turkey
As Turkey took one step closer toward membership in the European Union (EU) with the agreement last week to begin formal accession talks, IFEX members focused attention on the need to continue pressing the Turkish government on its free expression record.
8 October 2004
Turkey
8 October 2004
Turkey
6 October 2004
Turkey
Political reforms in Turkey aimed at securing a coveted membership in the European Union have meant improved conditions for freedom of expression, but more needs to be done, says Human Rights Watch.
29 June 2004
Turkey
25 June 2004
Turkey
18 June 2004
Turkey
4 June 2004
Turkey
4 June 2004
Turkey
2 June 2004
Turkey
Turkey's efforts to change its laws in conformity with European standards on freedom of expression can set a positive example for Islamic countries where these rights are outlawed, says the World Association of Newspapers (WAN).
8 November 2003
Turkey
28 September 2003
Turkey
28 September 2003
Turkey
24 September 2003
Turkey
Human Rights Watch, ARTICLE 19 and International PEN will be participating in a conference in Istanbul, Turkey from 23 to 26 October, bringing together local and international human rights groups to assess the state of free expression in the country.
4 June 2003
Turkey
Turkey may finally be on its way to joining the European Union (EU), but freedom of expression in the country is a long way from being respected, says the Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN (WiPC).
20 August 2002
Turkey
20 August 2002
Turkey
20 August 2002
Turkey
Media concentration in Turkey, a country where three companies dominate the press, is under heavier scrutiny this week following the release of an International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) report demanding legal changes to protect press freedom. "The balance of power in the Turkish media industry is heavily weighted in favour of ruthless employers in a country where media concentration has reached intolerable levels," says IFJ.
2 April 2002
Turkey
2 April 2002
Turkey
2 April 2002
Turkey
Turkey's "Mini Democracy Package," a set of legislative amendments designed to improve the government's commitment to human rights as it seeks to join the European Union, fails to adequately protect free expression, says the Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN (WiPC). The group has released a report on freedom of expression in Turkey analysing the impact of Law No. 4744 on writers, publishers and journalists.
26 March 2002
Turkey
26 March 2002
Turkey
26 March 2002
Turkey
In a case that the Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN (WiPC) says reveals the extent to which Turkish laws are used to suppress legitimate criticism, six writers were to appear in court on 26 March for publishing a book on freedom of expression. The writers - Yavuz Onen, Cengiz Bektab, Mehmet Atilla Maras, Erdal Oz, Etyen Mahcupyan and Sanar Yurdatapan - are among 15 individuals who are being prosecuted for publishing FoX 2000 ("Freedom of Expression 2000"), a book that contains 60 articles which violate various free-speech laws. WiPC says four separate courts are hearing cases related to the articles. The group urges the government to drop the charges against the individuals and calls for a review of the laws under which the defendants are being tried.
12 February 2002
Turkey
12 February 2002
Turkey
12 February 2002
Turkey
A proposed bill aimed at reforming the Penal Code in Turkey will widen the number of press crimes punishable by law, warns Reporters Without Borders (RSF). On 24 January, the Turkish government released details of the proposed bill which is to be introduced in parliament shortly. RSF says a number of provisions in the bill "actually constitute a toughening of the legislation."
26 June 2001
Turkey
26 June 2001
Turkey
On 18 June, Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer vetoed a restrictive new media law after it had passed through parliament, reports the International Press Institute (IPI). However, the organisation notes that if parliament passes the law again, without any changes, then the president will be forced to ratify it. IPI says that introduction of the law "could cripple independent media in Turkey and poses a great threat to journalists." Among IPI's concerns are the limited representation of professional journalists on the media governing body (RTÜK), new restrictions on the publication of information on the Internet and dramatic increases in fines for press offences. There are also concerns that the new law will lead to an increase in the concentration of ownership of the Turkish media, notes IPI. For more information, see
www.freemedia.at.">http://www.freemedia.at">www.freemedia.at.
25 June 2001
Turkey
30 January 2001
Turkey
30 January 2001
Turkey
30 January 2001
Turkey
While one prominent Turkish writer, Esber Yagmurdereli, has been released after an international campaign, there is concern over the fate of journalist Serdal Gelir who remains in prison. These developments take place against the backdrop of a large-scale amnesty of prisoners, a hunger strike by inmates over prison reforms, and government efforts to control reporting on violent events in the prisons.
17 October 2000
Turkey
17 October 2000
Turkey
Eleven IFEX members and 267 writers from thirteen countries are supporting a joint action to free imprisoned Turkish playwright and human rights lawyer Esber Yagmurdereli. In an appeal to Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, the groups recount the many years that Yagmurdereli has been in prison for campaigning against human rights violations in Turkey in general and for highlighting the "plight of the Kurds" in Turkey. He was first arrested and sentenced to death in 1978, but his sentence was subsequently converted to a life-long sentence. Yagmurdereli was conditionally released from prison in August 1991, but ever since then, has undergone a series of court hearings due to his work. In October 1997, he was again imprisoned to serve the remainder of his life sentence in addition to a new ten month-sentence for a second "offense," for a total of 22 years and four months. Since this time, Yagmurdereli was temporarily released for health reasons from November 1997 to June 1998, when he was returned to prison.
14 April 2000
Turkey
14 April 2000
Turkey
11 April 2000
Turkey
The Turkish parliament's Culture and Education Committee recently passed new legislation which requires all publishers and video-cassette producers to apply for an official sticker of approval from the Ministry of Culture, reports ARTICLE 19. Stores and outlets that sell books or videos that do not bear this sticker will face heavy fines and possible closure. The legislation, which currently awaits full parliamentary approval, "allows for the possibility of censorship should the Ministry of Culture decide to withhold or unduly delay approval," says ARTICLE 19.
1 February 2000
Turkey
1 February 2000
Turkey
1 February 2000
Turkey
On 22 January, the body of writer Konca Kuris was found tortured and killed in a mass grave with dozens of other bodies in Konya, 220 miles northwest of Mersin, Turkey, reports the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) based on a New York Times article by Stephen Kinzer. Police also found videotapes documenting the torture Kuris endured leading up to her death. Kuris' fate had been unknown ever since she was kidnapped in July 1998. Kuris' body was one of 33 bodies that were found buried "at properties used by Hezbollah (Party of God), a group dedicated to overthrowing the secular Turkish state and establishing an Islamic republic in its place," reports Kinzer. Kinzer clarifies that Hezbollah "is not believed to be connected to the similarly named group that has fought against the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon."
5 October 1999
Turkey
5 October 1999
Turkey
5 October 1999
Turkey
Despite Turkeyâs recent amnesty bill that has freed a number of writers and journalists, human rights abuses in Turkey continue, report Human Rights Watch (HRW), Reporters san frontières (RSF) and Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The amnesty bill, passed on 28 August and signed by
15 June 1999
Turkey
15 June 1999
Turkey
15 June 1999
Turkey
Numerous journalists and writers have been arrested and detained in Turkey recently, report several IFEX members. On 10 June, Istanbul-based British journalist Andrew Finkel was charged with "insulting state institutions" under Article 159 of the Turkish Penal Code, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The charge stemmed from a February 1998 article Finkel wrote for the daily newspaper "Sabah" about Turkey's ongoing military operations against the Kurds in the southeast. Another hearing is scheduled for 16 November. Finkel reports for "Time" magazine and "The Times of London" and also appears on CNN. If convicted, he faces up to six years in prison.
11 May 1999
Turkey
11 May 1999
Turkey
11 May 1999
Turkey
Fewer journalists were tortured in Turkey in 1998 than the year before, but it still occurred with impunity, says a report by Reporters sans frontières (RSF). RSF records nine cases of journalists tortured in 1998 and 16 in 1997. RSF reports, "Although the Ankara government has signed European documents proscribing torture, it is still practised on a large scale all over Turkey. As well as being frequently used by the police against common law prisoners, it is also practised against political activists, human rights campaigners and journalists." In its report, RSF says, "It is becoming more common for torture and ill-treatment to be exposed and condemned in Turkey, and for legal proceedings to be started against the police officers responsible. But the outcome of such cases depends to a large extent on the political willingness of the Turkish authorities to prosecute and punish members of the forces of law and order."
6 April 1999
Turkey
6 April 1999
Turkey
Two jailed journalists reportedly died in Turkey in March, according to Reporters sans frontières (RSF) and the Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of International PEN. According to RSF, on 27 March, Çetin Günes, a columnist with the far-left periodical "Hedef" (Target), died at the Ankara hospital after succumbing to a serious heart condition. He had been transferred from the Ankara prison while on a hunger strike. Günes was detained for questioning in July 1998, and was sentenced last year to a 16-month prison term for "separatist propaganda" (in accordance with Article 8 of Anti-terrorist Law 3713.) The charge was related to an article published in September 1994 in the far-left monthly "Sosyalist Alternatif", entitled "The role and characteristics of a militant of the Turkish revolution." The journalist had suffered from a heart condition for some time, says RSF.
6 March 1999
Turkey
23 February 1999
Turkey
23 February 1999
Turkey
23 February 1999
Turkey
Local journalists were beaten in Diyarbakir in the emergency zone of Ohal, in the south-east of Turkey, and foreign journalists were banned from even entering it, according to Reporters sans frontières (RSF). Foreign journalists attempting to enter the zone were detained, reports RSF, noting, "These arrests are taking place just one week after the arrest of Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and at a time when numerous arrests are taking place within the ranks of Kurdish militants and human rights workers." On 23 February, Ibrahim Atesoglu, a cameraman with the private television channel NTV, and Adnan Simsek, a reporter with the Ihlas (IHA) press agency, were beaten by police officers on their way to the scene of confrontations between police and shopkeepers who had organized a general strike to show solidarity with Ocalan.