Women detained unlawfully by bodyguards over gestures at Turkish PM: Lawyer

Banu Şen İZMİR / Hürriyet

People protests against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his election rally in İzmir.

The prime minister’s bodyguards are guilty of “abducting” two women accused of making gestures at the Turkish leader during the latter’s rally in İzmir on March 16, a local lawyer has said, describing the women’s detention as unlawful.

“Bodyguards from the Prime Ministry went to the house of F.A., entered her flat without showing their ID and took her to the police station while she was still in her pajamas. I witnessed it; she was still in pajamas in the middle of the night at the police station,” said Anıl Güner, an executive board member of the İzmir Bar Association’s Human Rights branch.

The two women were taken to the police station by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s bodyguards, Güner said, but noted that the bodyguards did not have the right to make detentions based on the prime minister’s orders when there were hundreds of police officers around.

 “[The other woman] K.B.’s detention was worse. She was sitting in a cafe when two civilians in dark-colored suits came and bundled her into a civilian car. She could not do anything because of fear,” Güner said, adding that the women were taken to a police station after driving around for a while.

K.B. was reportedly detained for making a gesture at Erdoğan while F.A. was questioned at a police station for “insulting” Erdoğan. The women were released after testifying.

K.B. has filed an official complaint in connection to the incident, Güner said.