Methods of Intervention
Disp. Force/Real Bullet
1
Disp. Force /Preventative Measures
9
Phy. Force./ Preventative Measures
10
Preventative Measures
31
Disproportionate Use of Force (Gas, Water)
97
Physical Force (Battery, Baton etc.)
42
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
An analysis on the methods of intervention of the security forces on assemblies reveals that the police
usually intervenes with the use of disproportionate force, often using tear gas and pressurized water to
affect entire masses instead of targeting individuals disrupting order. By choosing immediately the
method of dispersal of the entire group, the police violates the right to peaceful assembly of nearly all
participants in most cases. The security forces also use multiple methods together, this was established
in 19 out of 225 interventions. Physical force on protesters is also quite common, and real bullets were
established to be used in one case during the monitoring period.
Detainment
Number of People Under
Custody
159
80
80
200
150
46
100
60
21
41
40
50
16
20
0
Yes
No
Unknown
2
8
0
1-10
11-20 21-30 31-40
40+
In 159 out of 225 assemblies, an instance of detention by the police was observed. In the 159 assemblies
with detainments, a total of 2088 people were taken into custody by the police. The number of people
taken into custody varies between 1 and 231.
After the Assembly
AMER find the monitoring of rights violations after the assembly is completed very important, due to
their long-term consequences and tremendous imbalance of power it creates between protesters and
law enforcement. It has been observed that law enforcement officers attempting to disperse crowds in
assemblies quite frequently use detainment as a threat, and takes multitudes into custody, regardless of
whether the protesters are members of the parliament, journalists, representatives of foreign nations
etc. However, monitoring the violation of the freedom of assembly is quite difficult methodologically
in Turkey, since news articles rarely follow up on detainments, and the judicial data is not available to
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