A pro-Kurdish opposition lawmaker on Friday accused Turkish authorities of subjecting minors to strip-searches, physical violence and coercive interrogations after they were detained and jailed during protests over a Syrian government offensive in a Kurdish-controlled region of northern Syria.
According to the Bianet news website, Beritan Güneş, a lawmaker from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), told Turkey’s parliament that minors were taken into police custody and in some cases arrested and jailed for participating in January demonstrations or for social media posts linked to the protests.
She alleged that in the southeastern province of Mardin, minors were handcuffed and dragged in public and that a 12-year-old was thrown to the ground by police. In Şırnak province, she said, nine youngsters were arrested and that lawyers and court-appointed child specialists were prevented from attending their interrogations. Some minors were later transferred to juvenile detention facilities in the southern province of Hatay, far from their families, where she alleged they were subjected to strip-searches and physical and psychological abuse.
The protests erupted after the Syrian government launched a military offensive in early January against Kurdish-led authorities administering large parts of northern and eastern Syria. The region, commonly known as Rojava, has operated with de facto autonomy during Syria’s civil war and maintains political and social ties with Kurdish communities in Turkey.
Demonstrations were held across several Turkish cities in January, particularly in predominantly Kurdish provinces, as news of the fighting and its impact on civilians spread. Turkish authorities treated many of the gatherings as unlawful and carried out detentions in multiple provinces, according to opposition lawmakers.
Güneş also cited cases in the western city of İzmir, including a fourth-year high school student who was jailed over a social media post and a 16-year-old girl who was allegedly subjected to a strip-search in prison.
Under Turkish law and international agreements to which Turkey is a party, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, minors are entitled to special protections in detention, including access to legal counsel and safeguards against ill-treatment.
Turkish authorities have not publicly responded to the specific claims raised in parliament.
Güneş called on Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi and Justice Minister Akın Gürlek to clarify the allegations and open investigations into those responsible. She demanded the immediate release of detained and imprisoned minors and urged parliament to act.
