87 people were imprisoned for resisting state power and violating Article 2911, after they were brought before a court.

Today TAYAD issued a statement about the arrests. In the latest statement TAYAD declares that democracy is just a lie in Turkey and elections are no more than a game:

"LOOK AT THE ELECTION SWINDLE!…
LOOK AT THE LIES ABOUT DEMOCRACY!…
LOOK AT THE DEMOCRACY THE EU GIVES YOU!"

IN ANKARA, 87 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN PUT IN JAIL FOR SAYING THAT "ELECTIONS ARE NOT A SOLUTION, TAKE PART IN THE STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE AND DEMOCRACY"

On July 16, HOC members from various parts of the country travelled to Ankara for the reading out of a press statement on Yuksel Street (translator's note: in the city centre, near parliament) as part of the campaign "Elections are not a solution, take part in the struggle for independence and democracy". However, state forces find such a democratic right intolerable and brutally attacked the activists, beating and detaining nearly 200 of them. During the attack, Eray Destegul and Bulent Kemal Yildirim were beaten unconscious and Eray Destegul is still in intensive care.

After two days in custody, on July 18 HOC members were brought before a court and 87 were imprisoned for wanting to read out a press statement, as is their democratic right. Democracy is not simply about putting out ballot boxes and putting ballots in them on election day. The masks of those who make various lying promises to the people fall on such occasions. Those who see democracy as a right only for their own supporters can only bring the people hunger, poverty, unemployment, repression and torture.

In Ankara we saw this yet again: in this country there is no democracy for the people. HOC members, detained and imprisoned in Ankara, belong to the people. They are workers, civil servants, students, women, youth and villagers who travelled from various parts of the country to express their views. Those who cannot bear to hear the views of the people, those who say, "Take your mum and go"; * those who call people who struggle for their rights "animals" can make no claim to rule the people. We, the TAYAD families, say once again:

ELECTIONS ARE NOT A SOLUTION, LET US PARTICIPATE IN THE STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE AND DEMOCRACY… Do not vote for those inflict repression, arrests, beatings and imprisonment on us…
We call on all those who are on the side of democracy and the people to protest against this intolerance.

THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN IMPRISONED MUST BE RELEASED!
REPRESSION CANNOT INTIMIDATE US!
NO VOTES FOR THE SYSTEM PARTIES!"

* Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has indicated on a number of occasions what he thinks of the people; he referred to an indignant peasant as "lan", a real insult in Turkish, as though he was addressing a child, to put it mildly.