Latest news with #Guzel
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Young Turkish protesters face rude awakening in police custody
After rising up to rally against the arrest of Istanbul's powerful opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, young Turkish protesters have been forced to wake up to the reality of police custody. Lawyers and politicians supportive of Imamoglu, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's top political challenger, have slammed the "police brutality" suffered by students arrested for taking part in the country's worst unrest for more than a decade. "They are being put into the same cells with dangerous criminals such as murder and sexual assault convicts," said Ferhat Guzel, a lawyer who has rushed to the defence of several students whose names he withheld for their safety. As a result of their dangerous cellmates his clients were "scared to sleep, go to the restroom and eat", Guzel said. In Istanbul alone police arrested 511 students for taking part in the demonstrations, of which 275 were detained, the lawyer added. But the real number was likely higher, he said. "To begin with, many of these detentions and pre-trial arrests are unfounded," Guzel said. Many of the students were detained at night or while leaving the area where the protests were taking place "with no supporting evidence regarding the charges", Guzel said, adding that police often denied detained protesters communication with their families or lawyers. And while in pre-trial detention, "we know that many students were subjected to the police brutality, in forms of physical and verbal abuse," he added. - 'Handcuffed for hours' - Ozgur Ozel, head of Imamoglu's opposition CHP party, likewise denounced the police's treatment of young protesters since the unrest erupted on March 19. "These students were mistreated, handcuffed behind their backs with clamps, then left in corridors for hours without being told which prison they would be sent to," said Ozel. While visiting Imamoglu in the western Istanbul prison of Silivri on Sunday, the CHP head took the opportunity to meet young people held at the penitentiary. Besides insults and "psychological torture", the politician slammed "kicks in the face" suffered by the prisoners, adding that some guards applied pressure to the heads of inmates lying on the ground. Also in the dock in Silivri was Sinan Can, a 22-year-old arrested during the Istanbul protests whose father Sinan Karahan got to visit on Friday. "He told me that there were many wounded students in the prison," his father told AFP. A 19-year-old economics student at the Istanbul Technical University, who had several friends jailed, told AFP they were denied water and the right to go to the toilet while in custody. Women were also prevented from having access to period products, she said. Aged around 20, the majority of these young protesters are attending rallies for the first time in their lives -- and have found themselves in the dock as a result, while their terrified parents look on. "Most of them have never even spent a night outside the family home," a lawyer wrote last week on the X social media network. - 'Going to beat them' - "Some of the students I have represented also cried after hearing about the pre-trial arrests, begging to not to be handed to the police as they were going to beat them," lawyer Guzel said. Turkey's healthcare professional associations have likewise offered accounts of "ill-treatment during arrests, detentions, police custody and judicial proceedings". These took place "in particular in the major cities", they said in a statement. Guzel said the worst conditions -- where protesters were shoved cheek-by-jowl with conviction rapists and murderers -- were found in pre-trial detention. Most of the students have had their pre-trial hearing dates fixed for around mid-April. CHP chief Ozel said they "should not be kept in detention for another eighteen or twenty days until their first hearing", urging their release as "none of them have blood on their hands". The opposition leader added those affected should "preserve the evidence to demand accountability when the time comes". Police have arrested at least 2,000 people since Imamoglu's detention, of whom 263 had been imprisoned, Turkey's interior ministry said on Thursday. It has not updated its figures since. ach/sbk/giv
Gulf Today
16-03-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Driving ban puts brakes on young women in Turkmenistan
Mekhri feels "a sense of freedom and self-confidence" when she's behind the wheel of a car — despite being forced to drive illegally because of an unwritten rule preventing women getting a licence. In Turkmenistan, the reclusive Central Asian state where she lives, young women are effectively banned from driving. "I know the rules of the road. I drive calmly, don't overtake anyone and know how to park," the 19-year-old said. Like other women interviewed by AFP in Turkmenistan — ranked by rights groups as one of the most closed and repressive countries in the world — she withheld her surname. There is no legislation specifically outlawing women under 30 from obtaining a driving licence. But it is one of many informal prohibitions that is universally followed, so women that do drive must do so without this precious permit, which is indeed against the law. "When my daughter wanted to enrol at the driving school, we were told that she could take lessons but that she would probably not pass the test," said Guzel, Mekhri's 57-year-old mother. So instead of paying for lessons, Guzel assumed the role of instructor and now takes Mekhri outside the capital, Ashgabat, to practice. "Where there are few cars, police officers and cameras, I let my daughter take the wheel and I teach her," Guzel, who started driving when she was 40, told AFP. 'Don't understand' Among the other transport-related diktats imposed by father-and-son duo Gurbanguly and Serdar Berdymukhamedov — who have ruled the country one after the other since 2006 — are a ban on black cars. Owners have been forced to paint the vehicles white, the favourite colour of Gurbanguly, whose official titles are "Hero-Protector" and "leader of the Turkmen nation." Many young women share Mekhri's frustration. "I wanted to take my test at 18. At the driving school, the instructor immediately warned the many girls there: 'You've come for nothing. You won't be able to take it," said Maisa, a 26-year-old saleswoman. "But up to the exam, driving schools take both boys and girls, because they pay," she told AFP. Goulia, 19, said her parents had wanted to buy her a car when she went to university so she could be more independent, do the family shopping and take her grandmother to hospital and the chemist's. "But because of the difficulties that girls like me face getting a driver's licence, my mother said she would have to postpone the decision," she said. "I've just turned 19 and I can't get a licence but the boys can and I don't understand why," she added. Turkmenistan's motor transport agency did not respond to an AFP request to comment. 'Great respect' Contacted via phone by AFP, one driving school said "women have the right to enrol in the course and take the exam" before abruptly hanging up. But another instructor from Ashgabat acknowledged the informal ban. "It is due to a sharp increase in accidents involving female drivers," the instructor said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "After an investigation by the authorities, it turned out they were simply buying driving licences," the instructor said — a claim AFP could not verify. Rules have also been tightened for women over 30 who are not covered by the informal ban. To register a car in their own name, they have to show a marriage certificate, family record book and a report from their employer. Authorities routinely reject accusations that they are restricting women's rights. Responding to a recent United Nations report criticising the country, the government said: "The motherland treats mothers and women with great respect." Ahead of International Women's Day on March 8, President Serdar Berdymoukhamedov gifted every woman the equivalent of $3 — enough to buy a cake or six kilogrammes of potatoes.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Driving ban puts brakes on young women in Turkmenistan
Mekhri feels "a sense of freedom and self-confidence" when she's behind the wheel of a car -- despite being forced to drive illegally because of an unwritten rule preventing women getting a licence. In Turkmenistan, the reclusive Central Asian state where she lives, young women are effectively banned from driving. "I know the rules of the road. I drive calmly, don't overtake anyone and know how to park," the 19-year-old said. Like other women interviewed by AFP in Turkmenistan -- ranked by rights groups as one of the most closed and repressive countries in the world -- she withheld her surname. There is no legislation specifically outlawing women under 30 from obtaining a driving licence. But it is one of many informal prohibitions that is universally followed, so women that do drive must do so without this precious permit, which is indeed against the law. "When my daughter wanted to enrol at the driving school, we were told that she could take lessons but that she would probably not pass the test," said Guzel, Mekhri's 57-year-old mother. So instead of paying for lessons, Guzel assumed the role of instructor and now takes Mekhri outside the capital, Ashgabat, to practice. "Where there are few cars, police officers and cameras, I let my daughter take the wheel and I teach her," Guzel, who started driving when she was 40, told AFP. - 'Don't understand' - Among the other transport-related diktats imposed by father-and-son duo Gurbanguly and Serdar Berdymukhamedov -- who have ruled the country one after the other since 2006 -- are a ban on black cars. Owners have been forced to paint the vehicles white, the favourite colour of Gurbanguly, whose official titles are "Hero-Protector" and "leader of the Turkmen nation". Many young women share Mekhri's frustration. "I wanted to take my test at 18. At the driving school, the instructor immediately warned the many girls there: 'You've come for nothing. You won't be able to take it," said Maisa, a 26-year-old saleswoman. "But up to the exam, driving schools take both boys and girls, because they pay," she told AFP. Goulia, 19, said her parents had wanted to buy her a car when she went to university so she could be more independent, do the family shopping and take her grandmother to hospital and the chemist's. "But because of the difficulties that girls like me face getting a driver's licence, my mother said she would have to postpone the decision," she said. "I've just turned 19 and I can't get a licence but the boys can and I don't understand why," she added. Turkmenistan's motor transport agency did not respond to an AFP request to comment. - 'Great respect' - Contacted via phone by AFP, one driving school said "women have the right to enrol in the course and take the exam" before abruptly hanging up. But another instructor from Ashgabat acknowledged the informal ban. "It is due to a sharp increase in accidents involving female drivers," the instructor said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "After an investigation by the authorities, it turned out they were simply buying driving licences," the instructor said -- a claim AFP could not verify. Rules have also been tightened for women over 30 who are not covered by the informal ban. To register a car in their own name, they have to show a marriage certificate, family record book and a report from their employer. Authorities routinely reject accusations that they are restricting women's rights. Responding to a recent United Nations report criticising the country, the government said: "The motherland treats mothers and women with great respect." Ahead of International Women's Day on March 8, President Serdar Berdymoukhamedov gifted every woman the equivalent of $3 -- enough to buy a cake or six kilogrammes (13 pounds) of potatoes. al-bk-jc/dt/gil-jhb
Arab News
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Driving ban puts brakes on young women in Turkmenistan
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan: Mekhri feels 'a sense of freedom and self-confidence' when she's behind the wheel of a car – despite being forced to drive illegally because of an unwritten rule preventing women getting a license. In Turkmenistan, the reclusive Central Asian state where she lives, young women are effectively banned from driving. 'I know the rules of the road. I drive calmly, don't overtake anyone and know how to park,' the 19-year-old said. Like other women interviewed by AFP in Turkmenistan – ranked by rights groups as one of the most closed and repressive countries in the world – she withheld her surname. There is no legislation specifically outlawing women under 30 from obtaining a driving license. But it is one of many informal prohibitions that is universally followed, so women that do drive must do so without this precious permit, which is indeed against the law. 'When my daughter wanted to enroll at the driving school, we were told that she could take lessons but that she would probably not pass the test,' said Guzel, Mekhri's 57-year-old mother. So instead of paying for lessons, Guzel assumed the role of instructor and now takes Mekhri outside the capital, Ashgabat, to practice. 'Where there are few cars, police officers and cameras, I let my daughter take the wheel and I teach her,' Guzel, who started driving when she was 40, said. Among the other transport-related diktats imposed by father-and-son duo Gurbanguly and Serdar Berdymukhamedov – who have ruled the country one after the other since 2006 – are a ban on black cars. Owners have been forced to paint the vehicles white, the favorite color of Gurbanguly, whose official titles are 'Hero-Protector' and 'leader of the Turkmen nation.' Many young women share Mekhri's frustration. 'I wanted to take my test at 18. At the driving school, the instructor immediately warned the many girls there: 'You've come for nothing. You won't be able to take it,' said Maisa, a 26-year-old saleswoman. 'But up to the exam, driving schools take both boys and girls, because they pay,' she said. Goulia, 19, said her parents had wanted to buy her a car when she went to university so she could be more independent, do the family shopping and take her grandmother to hospital and the chemist's. 'But because of the difficulties that girls like me face getting a driver's license, my mother said she would have to postpone the decision,' she said. 'I've just turned 19 and I can't get a license but the boys can and I don't understand why,' she added. Turkmenistan's motor transport agency did not respond to an AFP request to comment. Contacted via phone by AFP, one driving school said 'women have the right to enroll in the course and take the exam' before abruptly hanging up. But another instructor from Ashgabat acknowledged the informal ban. 'It is due to a sharp increase in accidents involving female drivers,' the instructor said, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'After an investigation by the authorities, it turned out they were simply buying driving licenses,' the instructor said – a claim AFP could not verify. Rules have also been tightened for women over 30 who are not covered by the informal ban. To register a car in their own name, they have to show a marriage certificate, family record book and a report from their employer. Authorities routinely reject accusations that they are restricting women's rights. Responding to a recent United Nations report criticizing the country, the government said: 'The motherland treats mothers and women with great respect.' Ahead of International Women's Day on March 8, President Serdar Berdymoukhamedov gifted every woman the equivalent of $3 – enough to buy a cake or six kilograms (13 pounds) of potatoes.
