Turkish authorities must end the use of unnecessary and indiscriminate force against peaceful protesters

Amnesty has reviewed footage of police beating protesters with batons and kicking them when they are on the ground

Social media companies must take immediate steps to ensure that the accounts of people critical of the Turkish government are restored

‘The indiscriminate use of pepper spray, tear gas and water cannon against peaceful protesters is deeply shocking’ - Agnès Callamard

Amnesty International have called for Turkish authorities to end the use of unnecessary and indiscriminate force by security forces against peaceful demonstrators and to investigate unlawful acts of violence committed by police against protesters.

The call comes following the extension of a blanket protest ban in three cities and as authorities confirm that 1,133 protesters have been detained since the overwhelmingly peaceful protests began on 19 March, following the detention of Istanbul mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu. It also comes amid reports of injuries, the throttling of social media and the detention of journalists covering the overwhelmingly peaceful protests in dawn raids.

Commenting on the protests, Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said:

“The use of unnecessary and indiscriminate force by police against peaceful protesters in Türkiye must immediately stop.

“Amnesty reviewed footage showing completely unwarranted police use of force against peaceful demonstrators with people beaten with batons and kicked when they were on the ground. “The indiscriminate use of pepper spray, tear gas and water cannon, against peaceful protesters is deeply shocking as is the police use of plastic bullets – sometimes fired at close range at the face and upper body - which have caused numerous injuries and even hospitalisations. These unlawful acts of violence must be investigated promptly and the perpetrators brought to justice.

“The throttling of the Internet is a blatant assault on the right to freedom of expression. Authorities should refrain from resorting to such measures. Social media companies, namely X, must take immediate steps to ensure that the accounts of people critical of the Turkish government are restored.

“It is crucial that Turkish authorities respect and protect the right to peaceful assembly, immediately lift the blanket protest bans and release all those unjustifiably and arbitrarily detained solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful protest.”

Dawn raids

In a series of dawn raids on 24 March, at least eight journalists who had been reporting on the protests were detained from their homes. Internet users experienced bandwidth restrictions that lasted for 42 hours, restricting access to social media and news sites and more than 700 accounts of journalists, activists and opposition figures on Twitter/X have been blocked.