Turkey: Heightened security measures around Istanbul’s Gezi Park May 30-31

Event

Turkish police implemented heightened security measures around Gezi Park in Istanbul on Wednesday, May 30, a day before the commemoration of the fifth anniversary of anti-government protests at the park and nationwide in 2013. Police closed the park by erecting barriers around it on Wednesday morning (local time). Roads leading to the park near Taksim Square have also reportedly been closed to traffic. The Taksim Solidarity activist group is expected to stage a related demonstration at the park at 19:00 on Thursday, May 31. A continued heightened security presence and localized traffic disruptions are expected near the demonstration; clashes between protesters and police cannot be ruled out.

Context

The Gezi Park protests of 2013 began as a refutation of an urban development plan for the area. The scope of the protests and the grievances they expressed expanded after security forces violently dispersed a sit-in protest at the park. Thousands of protesters staged anti-government demonstrations across Turkey in the following weeks. Associated clashes between protesters and security forces left several dead and thousands of others wounded and arrested.

The security situation remains tense in Turkey, particularly after several protests were held across the country on April 16 against the now-passed extension of the current state of emergency. The Turkish parliament's April 18 extension of the state of emergency was the seventh such extension since its initial implementation following the failed coup d'état of July 15, 2016. Since then, nearly 116,000 people have been fired or forced to resign from their jobs and over 228,000 people have been arrested. Critics have repeatedly denounced the increasing restrictions on political freedom and human rights violations, which they claim are ongoing under the guise of national security.

Advice

Individuals in Istanbul are advised to avoid Gezi Park and related protest sites as a precaution, monitor developments to the situation, and adhere to all instructions issued by the local authorities.