Police Beat Journalist as Istanbul Put under Lockdown for Gezi Anniversary
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Dozens of roads were blocked off and police occupied the Turkish city of Istanbul's Gezi Park on Sunday in anticipation of the second anniversary of the start of the nationwide Gezi protests.
With Istanbul under heavy lockdown on the second anniversary of the nationwide anti-government Gezi protests on Sunday, police attacked Turkish daily Zaman journalist Emre Şencan as he attempted to film in Gezi Park, BGN News reported.
"The police just beat me in front of everyone," tweeted Şencan, "As I shouted that I was a correspondent for Zaman they began kicking my groin." He also shared a picture of himself being pinned down by the police.
The authorities have effectively declared a state of emergency in Istanbul on the anniversary of what Ankara's opponents say was an organic protest against rising authoritarianism, and what the government claims was an attempt to topple the administration by shadowy international actors.
Rail lines and other public transport to the city's central Taksim square, where Gezi Park is located, have been shut down by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and the Istanbul Police Department has shut down all the roads leading to Taksim.
