May Day victim at risk of hearing loss
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Dlan Alp was firstly discharged from Bahçelievler Medical Park Hospital though she was in the intensive care unit, and then transferred to Bağcılar Private Işık Medical Center and İkitelli Batı Bahat Hospital respectively. DHA photo
Dilan Alp, a 17-year-old girl who was severely wounded in the clashes during Istanbul’s May Day demonstrations, currently is at risk of permanent hearing loss as her eardrum was damaged. Her father, Ali Ekber Alp, said he would continue his legal battle.She was firstly discharged from Bahçelievler Medical Park Hospital though she was in the intensive care unit, and then transferred to Bağcılar Private Işık Medical Center and İkitelli Batı Bahat Hospital respectively. One of Dilan Alp’s friends, Meral, who was also injured during May Day, is at risk of having hearing loss as well.
Ali Alp harshly criticized Istanbul Gov. Hüseyin Avni Mutlu, who accused Dilan Alp of being a member of an illegal organization. “The governor said my daughter was 19 years old, a member of an illegal organization and held a molotov cocktail [during the demonstrations]. It was revealed that all of these things were false. I wish he would have demanded my daughter’s identity records. She is only 17 years old and does not have any criminal record. It was also revealed that the thing she was holding was vinegar. The governor deciphered my daughter’s identity and released her photos. I am worried about her future. I will continue my legal struggle,” Ali Alp said.
Ali Alp also said she had attended the demonstrations with his knowledge and consent. When asked whether he had any regrets due to the things that had happened to her, he said, “I don’t feel guilty. Dilan has become a symbolic name for May Day. I let her take part in these demonstrations so that she could understand life.”
Fifteen months ago, Ali Alp was fired from his job at a textile firm without receiving two months’ salary or his severance and notice pay. On the day of the incident, he was talking on the phone with her at 10 minute intervals, Ali Alp said. When Dilan Alp was discharged from Medical Park Hospital, Ali Alp said, “Around 5:00 p.m., a security guard came and told us Dilan was being discharged. Dilan was in the intensive care unit; her doctors did not talk to us. When we came to this hospital, they told us Dilan needed to be kept under observation.”
One million marches to Taksim
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
An online campaign titled “1 million people marching to Taksim,” calls on “those supporting labor, rights, equality and freedom” to gather in Taksim on May 12. The campaign wrote on its Facebook page that those marching to Taksim will say that “Turkey has Taksim as Egypt has Tahrir and the United States has Wall Street, against the government’s plans” to close the square to “the opposition, workers, art and free thought.”
Three people were seriously wounded May 1 by tear gas canisters fired by Istanbul police that hit their heads. The governor of Istanbul said Taksim Square had been blocked for rallies due to the ongoing construction work there. However, Gov. Hüseyin Avni Mutlu denied saying that the square would be open to rallies next year.