/ / Urgent Action: OPEN GALATASARAY SQUARE FOR PROTESTERS

OPEN GALATASARAY SQUARE FOR PROTESTERS

UA: Third 101.23 Türkiye

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On March 14, 2025, 45 individuals, including relatives of victims of enforced disappearances in Türkiye who had faced prosecution since 2021 under the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations (Law No. 2911), were acquitted of the charge of “attending illegal meetings and marches without weapons and not dispersing despite warnings.” The prosecution, widely regarded as baseless and unjust, targeted individuals detained in August 2018 while peacefully gathering in Galatasaray Square to mark the 700th week of their vigil. The court’s ruling follows two separate Constitutional Court decisions in 2022 and 2023, both of which found that the applicants’ rights to freedom of peaceful assembly had been violated. It is now time to fully reopen Galatasaray Square and allow the Saturday Mothers/People to resume their weekly peaceful vigils without unlawful interference.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: November 24, 2025

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Step 1

READ THE FULL URGENT ACTION

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You can now write a letter in your own words or download the sample below as a guide. A copy of the sample has also been sent to your email address.

Remember to send your letter by November 24, 2025.

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Sample Letter

Dear Minister,

I am writing to call on you to intervene, without further delay, to fully open Galatasaray Square to Saturday Mothers/People’s weekly peaceful vigil. This long overdue decision would be in line with the two Constitutional Court rulings in 2022 and 2023 and the acquittals in March 2025 of 45 defendants who have been prosecuted under the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations since 2021.

While the group has been able to return to Galatasaray Square since November 2023, the round the clock presence of metal barriers and armed police, and the arbitrary limit on the numbers of protesters to 10 people allowed to gather each Saturday, continue to represent an unlawful restriction to Saturday Mothers/People’s enjoyment of their right to peaceful assembly.

The positive duty of all states party to binding international human rights treaties such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights is to ensure the exercise of the right to peaceful assembly of all without discrimination. In the case of Saturday Mothers/People and all those who wish to assemble peacefully, Galatasaray Square is a location of symbolic importance that has become synonymous with the group over the last 30 years.

I call on you to ensure the Saturday Mothers/People’s right to peaceful assembly, open up the Square, and lift all the current restrictions immediately.

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

Step 2

Send your message

Mail your letter to the government officials listed below. You can also email, fax, call, or post about them on social media.

Send your letter to:

Minister of Interior, Ali Yerlikaya

T.C. İçişleri Bakanlığı,

Bakanlıklar/ANKARA

Türkiye

Email:

[email protected]

and

CC: Embassy of Türkiye in the United States, Ambassador Sedat Önal

Send a copy of your letter to the address below

2525 Massachusetts Avenue, NW,

Washington DC 20008

[email protected]

When writing your letter, don’t forget to be factual, brief, and show respect. See more letter writing tips and emails, or organize and host a letter writing party.

Other Urgent Actions for this Case

Second UA Issued: [Türkiye 101.23]
First UA Issued: [Türkiye 101.23]

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