A union leader who was arrested in February for participating in a strike and released on Monday was put under house arrest a day later, sparking outrage among human rights advocates, the Diken news website reported.
Mahmut Türkmen, chairman of the United Textile, Weaving and Leather Workers Union (BİRTEK-SEN), was arrested on February 17 for participating in a strike at an industrial complex in Gaziantep, southeastern Turkey. Workers were striking against low pay and poor working conditions.
According to news reports, among the factory owners in the complex were ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputies.
Türkmen was released on March 24; however, in a social media post on Wednesday he announced that he had been put under house arrest.
“My freedom lasted only one day. Today, at the prosecutor’s request, I was abruptly and unlawfully put under house arrest. If I were free, I would have joined the strike in Gaziantep this evening. But clearly, they are very afraid. They want to turn this country into one big prison. Well then, we will turn every corner of this country into a space of resistance! We will not be silent, we will not be afraid! We will not bow even an inch to the oppression of this authoritarian regime! There is no salvation alone — either we all stand together, or none of us will,” he tweeted.
Sociologist Cihan Tugal expressed solidarity with Türkmen and said authorities were afraid that Türkmen, and those people who resisted exploitation and unlawful practices, would take to the streets.
