Ankara Medical Association: "Protests in Kizilay Square and Guvenpark as of June 1st"

04/06/2013
Press release
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Statement of the ANKARA MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

Residents of Ankara supported the protests that began early in the morning in Istanbul against the construction of a mall that would destroy Taksim Gezi Parki by flooding Kizilay Square and Guvenpark. Turkish Medical Association and Ankara Medical Association together with doctors and medical students of Ankara also marched from Demirtepe to Kizilay starting at 3:30 pm.

Thousands of people of Ankara advanced to Kizilay Square from all directions, shouting “Down with the Government”, “Resign Tayyip”, “Unite Against Fascism”, and protesting.

The police heavily used tear-gas to break up the crowd. Many are wounded, some severely some lightly. Some of these wounds are life-threatening.

According to the reports that arrived at the crisis desk established by Ankara Board of Doctors, the medical details of the people wounded by excessive force exerted by the riot police are as follows:

● Diskapi Yildirim Beyazit Hospital: 12 wounded, one head trauma

● Numune Hospital: 30 wounded, one severe head trauma (Ethem Sarisuluk)

● Ibni Sina Hospital: 25 wounded, two cerebral hemorrhages, one with subdural hematoma, the other with a tear-gas flare lodged into the skull

● Ankara Hospital: 7 wounded

● Hacettepe Hospital: 25 wounded, one fractured frontal skull and subdural hematoma, one fractured maxilla (upper jaw), one eye loss, a police officer slightly wounded after TOMA vehicle hit.

● Bayindir Kavaklidere Hospital: 2 wounded, one head trauma

● Bayindir Sogutozu Hospital: a pelvis fracture due to a direct tear-gas canister hit.

● Cag Hospital: 70 wounded, several burns and bruises due to tear-gas, 4 people with fractured bones, 4 fractured skull, one of which is open (Dilan Ece, medical student in Ankara University)

● Medicana Hospital: 30 wounded police officers, one wounded protester

● Akay Hospital: 105 wounded

● Over 100 wounded are reported from crisis emergency rooms of several political organization and parties. A military officer working as a guardsman under the President’s office is dispatched to GATA unconscious. 2 fractured bones have been found.

● The emergency room at the crisis desk: 7 wounded, one severe head trauma.

The total before the night in Ankara was at least 414 wounded with 15 severely wounded.

All of the aforementioned wounds are due to the tear-gas canister guns, canister burns and bruises, TOMA vehicle impact, stones thrown by police officers and people collapsing while trying to run away from the tear-gas.

Today, a democratic, peaceful demonstration with no violent agenda is exposed to excessive and armed intervention of the police force.

According to the witness reports, the police officers used the tear-gas canister launchers as guns, directly aiming them at the head, effectively using them as bullets.

Today Ankara suffered the terror caused by the police force, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the government.

Aiming tear-gas canister launchers at the head is attempted murder to the first degree. It is a crime. Who ordered this? Someone has to account for the responsibility.

Due to the gas, the air in Kizilay and its vicinity became unfit to breathe, filling up the offices and homes nearby. These houses potentially have asthma patients and cardiopaths. The lives of tens of thousands of people were jeopardized. Who ordered this attack? Someone has to account for the responsibility.

Today, the streets of Ankara are exposed to the police terrors. Someone has to account for the responsibility of this terror.

Edit: The press released issued on June 1st by the Ankara Medical Association states that attempts were made to take the woundeds who were admitted into hospital into custody . But the hospital on June 2nd stated that there were no such attempts and that every patient was being taken care of with the same medical precision.

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