.jpg "Protesters are hit with a stream from a water cannon during clashes with riot police in Istanbul's Taksim square on June 11, 2013.")
"Protests in Turkey are likely to continue to escalate unless authorities engage in meaningful discussions with activists, Amnesty International said after riot police this morning once again used tear gas and water cannon against peaceful protesters in Istanbul’s Taksim Square and Gezi Park.
The further police action against demonstrators contradicted statements by the Governor of Istanbul this morning that they would not intervene in the park.
Activists have been protesting against the construction of a shopping centre in Gezi Park adjacent to the square, which is one of downtown Istanbul’s last green spaces.
In a statement to media, Istanbul’s Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu said the intervention in Taksim Square was being carried out to remove banners from the Atatürk statue and the Atatürk Culture Centre on the square and that the police would not intervene in Gezi Park.
“The protests in Taksim Square and Gezi Park have been entirely peaceful and have a right to continue. Intervention by the authorities should only be carried out for legitimate reasons - wanting to have a few banners taken down is, simply, not adequate justification,” said Andrew Gardner, Turkey researcher at Amnesty International who is currently in Istanbul........"
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