Observers Prevented The independent observers were hindered at 13 POs and carried out observation activities at 377 POs. There were 9 Prevented? YES police interventions, 1 intervention by a ballot box committee NO member, 1 intervention by a military member and 2 TOTAL interventions by political party members against the independent observers. DISTRIBUTION OF OBSERVERS PREVENTED 1 2 Percentage 13 3.3 377 96.7 390 100.0 PREVENTED BY 1 5 Frequency 2 2 2 1 9 1 ADIYAMAN MERSIN MANISA POLIS ASKER MUGLA URFA VAN SANDIK KURULU PARTİ GÖREVLİSİ Our observers were prevented from observing the process at 5 centres in Van, 2 centres in Manisa , Muğla and Urfa, 1 centre in Adıyaman and Mersin. A disabled woman observer at the Mersin Mezitli Municipality Middle School was taken outside the building by the members of a political party who were building officials. She was later take outside the school yard by the police. The counting process was also prevented at the same school by the same group and the police. The following were noted in forms filled out by observers: “there was police pressure. The Chairperson of the Ballot Box Committee prevented us from observing”, “I was prevented from observing at the ballot boxes”, “We were reported to the police by members of the …. Party.”, “We were attacked when entering the villages. They prevented us from entering the village. We are concerned that there may be collective voting.” “we were forced to leave by the police at the third school we visited as independent observer. The justification was that there was not permission by the SBE.”, “The Chairperson of the Ballot Box Committee said that he would not answer any of my questions.”, “6 or 7 people from the ... party who made an advance to assault independent observers. We were prevented from observing.”