Two teachers have been arrested in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on the 75th day of a hunger strike they have been carrying out in protest at losing their jobs, following a failed coup attempt against president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan by Turkish military last year.
Literature professor Nuriye Gülmen and primary school teacher Semih Özakça lost their jobs after a failed coup against increasingly autocratic president Erdoğan, resulting in multiple deaths and imprisonments, as well as thousands of job losses in state institutions ranging from the civil service to the armed forces.
The Guardian reports that the two, surviving for 10 weeks on a diet of saltwater, sugar solutions and lemon, have lost a great deal of weight and doctors report that their health has deteriorated, while a source said they had experienced muscle atrophy, which causes muscles to waste away. Usually caused by inactivity, it is common among those facing starvation and makes it difficult for the sufferer to move either their arms or legs.
Nuriye Gülmen, Credit: PA
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Reports suggest Turkey's police (closely tied and generally supportive of the Erdoğan regime) fear Gülmen and Özakças' protest may become a popular national cause, evolving into something much bigger, as happened in 2013 with the Gezi park protests.
These protests were caused by citizens' concerns over Erdoğan's paternalism (sparked symbolically by the decision to build a replica Ottoman barracks in the centre of Istanbul) and seeming commitment to enhancing his own power. Erdoğan, democratically elected as Prime Minister, has taken on an increasingly presidential manner in the intervening years, and recently won a tight and hard-fought referendum to broaden his powers.
In a defiant tweet shortly before her arrest, Gülmen said: "Political department police are trying to enter the house. They are now breaking the door. Damn fascism! Long live our hunger strike resistance! We want our jobs back! We have not and will not surrender!"
Meanwhile, lawyer Selçuk Kozağaçlı, tweeted that the two hunger strikers, while still well, were tired and had been 'knocked about quite a bit' during their arrest. Prior to Gülmen and Özakças' arrests, protesters gathered outside their homes to voice anger over police's decision to inter them. A number of protesters were pushed to the ground and some later detained.
The site of the hunger strike by Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça, Credit: PA
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In the aftermath of the failed coup, thousands of workers in the police, military, judiciary, civil service and academia have been dismissed, often without evidence but under suspicion of having voiced (often solely on social media) support for the failed ousting of Erdoğan. This has caused hardship for thousands of citizens and left both their careers and lives in tatters. It is believed that many of those affected have been the victim of a witch hunt that has allowed people to gain revenge for personal grievances, using the coup as a cover.
While Erdoğan's referendum victory last month gave him the powers he sought, it also highlighted the divided nature of Turkish society, going some way to explain why the usually theatrical and vociferous Turkish leader's victory celebrations were so subdued.
Those who have lost their jobs have faced stigma and marginalisation, as well as the loss of pension rights and passports. Most find themselves living off handouts from family, personal savings, or working in the grey economy, while many who have lost their roles have done so without any explanation.
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Source: The Guardian
Words: Ronan O'Shea