Police clashed with protesters around Istanbul鈥檚 main Taksim Square on May 31 and arrested 170 people as crowds gathered to mark the anniversary of nationwide anti-government demonstrations that began nine years ago in nearby Gezi Park, Mezopotamya Agency .
Detainees were taken to the police headquarters, where lawyers reported hearing 鈥渟ounds of torture鈥.
鈥淭here were detainees in a locked room chanting, 鈥楬uman dignity will prevail over torture!鈥. We banged on the door, police chiefs banged on the door, but the officers inside did not open it, and we kept hearing sounds of torture,鈥 lawyer Ezgi 脰nalan told .
The 2013 demonstrations were the biggest popular challenge to the rule of then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo臒an. The Gezi protests started over government plans to demolish the small park of the same name, and when they were met with police brutality, quickly snowballed into a general objection to Turkey鈥檚 decline into authoritarianism. Over several months, some four million people took to the streets in 80 out of Turkey鈥檚 81 provinces.
Last month, a Turkish court sentenced eight people to imprisonment, including the philanthropist Osman Kavala, finding them guilty of organising and financing the Gezi protests.
Taksim Solidarity, a loosely connected group of activists who represented the protesters in dealings with the government, called for a gathering outside the nearby Chamber of Mechanical Engineers on the anniversary of the start date. The group read a press statement and held a vigil for eight people who lost their lives during the protests. They also carried pictures of the people sentenced to imprisonment.
MPs from the Peoples鈥 Democratic Party (HDP) and the Workers鈥 Party of Turkey (T陌P) also attended the commemoration.
When the group started to march towards Gezi Park, police cut them off and used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. There were small-scale clashes in the area as people attempted to reach the square.
Police officers a large number of demonstrators, including Ahmet 艦谋k, a T陌P MP.
The detainees were on June 1.
[Abridged from .]