Continued Detentions in Turkey; Trial of Two Teachers and French Photographer's Hunger Strike

A court in Turkey has tried a teacher and a university professor who are on hunger strike, while a detained French journalist has also gone on hunger strike in protest of his situation. Nuriye Gulmen and Semih Ozakca were transferred from prison to a court in Ankara on Tuesday, June 2, and were tried on charges of 'membership in a terrorist group.' They were then returned to prison. Mr. Ozakca, a school teacher, and Ms. Gulmen, a university professor, are among tens of thousands who have been unemployed or imprisoned in the crackdown following last year's failed coup in Turkey. They have been on a hunger strike for two and a half months. Some reports suggest that Nuriye Gulmen and Semih Ozakca are members of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party, a Marxist party in Turkey. After leaving the court, they emphasized their continued struggle and resistance. A demonstration in support of them was held in Ankara, which was violently suppressed by Turkish security forces, resulting in several arrests. Meanwhile, Reporters Without Borders announced that Mathias Depardon, a French photographer and journalist who has been detained in Turkey for over two weeks, has also gone on hunger strike. Mr. Depardon was arrested on May 8 in southeastern Turkey while photographing for National Geographic. A representative of Reporters Without Borders in Turkey told AFP that the photographer has been on hunger strike for three days. Mr. Depardon's continued detention comes despite a deportation order issued a few days ago, which has not been executed for unspecified reasons. Turkish authorities have accused the French photographer of 'propaganda for terrorist groups.' On Wednesday, June 3, it was also announced that Turkish authorities have ordered the detention of 139 more employees from the Ankara municipality and two ministries. CNN Turk reported that these individuals were detained on suspicion of links to the network of Fethullah Gülen, a religious preacher residing in the United States. The government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accuses Mr. Gülen of orchestrating last year's failed coup, while Gülen claims that the coup was fabricated by the Turkish government to suppress its opponents. Following the failed coup, Turkish authorities have detained or dismissed over 100,000 people across various military, governmental, security, judicial, and public sectors.