youth in turkey
The 92nd anniversary of Turkish Republic founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s 1919 landing in the Black Sea province of Samsun, from where he launched the struggle for national independence, will be marked Thursday in Turkey.
Because Atatürk chose to dedicate May 19 to youth, the historic date is commemorated as Youth and Sports Day, reflecting his belief that youth are the guarantee of Turkey’s future.
Here is the story of youth in Turkey.
24 November 2010, Bianet
Tüzer and Yılmaz detained for eight monthsFerhat Tüzer and Berna Yılmaz, two members of the “Youth Federation”, have been detained for eight months now. They were arrested for displaying a banner reading “We want free education, and we will get it” during the speech of PM Erdoğan at the “Romani meeting” on 14 March this year in Istanbul.
16 December 2010, Bianet
Students Stay 5 more Months in Prison for Posting BannerUniversity students Ferhat Tüzer and Berna Yılmaz, members of the Youth Federation, are being prosecuted for posting a banner claiming free education during the Romani Meeting on 14 March 2010. The meeting in Istanbul had also been attended by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The banner read, “We want free education and we will get it”.
April 2011 The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey
Intervention to the protest in Adana Province…Municipal police interfered to the five students from the Federation of High School Students in İnönü Park Adana Province on 20 April 2011 who had started a hunger strike demanding the release of Ferhat Tüzer and Berna Yılmaz who had been detained and eventually arrested after they opened a banner for “free education” in an activity in which Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had participated in Istanbul Province on 14 March 2010. Municipal police dragged the students on the ground to take them out of the park (Milliyet, 20 April).
