June 20, 2013 -- Updated 1820 GMT (0220 HKT)
Still smarting from their ouster Saturday from Istanbul's Taksim Square,
protesters gathered across thecity to discuss how to proceed. FULL STORY
June 19, 2013 -- Updated 1631 GMT (0031 HKT)
Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan speaks to the deputies of his ruling Justice and
Development Party during a meeting with Turkish parliament on Tuesday,
June 18. Erdogan said he had no intention of restricting anyone's
democratic rights. "If you want to make a protest do it, do it, but do
it within the framework of law," he said.
HIDE CAPTION
Demonstrations in Turkey
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Planning goes on via social media websites and meetings
- Lawyer: More than 800 people have been detained on protest-related charges since May 31
- Most have been released; more than 100 remain in custody, he says
- Nine other people have been missing for more than 10 days, lawyer says
Using social media to organize, hundreds of youths met Tuesday in at least seven forums to carry out such planning.
A total of 883 people
have been detained under protest-related charges since May 31, said Emre
Cokgezen, a member of the Istanbul Bar Association's crisis desk, which
was created to handle detention issues related to the protests.
Though most of those have
been released, 71 remained in custody facing terrorism charges, 20
facing organized crime charges and 28 facing other charges, he said.
'Standing Man' protester inspires others
Turkish protests running out of steam?
A drone's view of riot zone
Nine other people have been missing for more than 10 days, he said.
Defense lawyers were to
meet Wednesday with the prosecution at the Istanbul Adalet Sarayi, one
of Europe's largest courthouses, to receive prosecution files.
In the lobby of the
courthouse, about 15 people -- including a judge -- continued Wednesday
the "standing man" protest initiated Monday by a lone man in Taksim
Square.
For more than five hours,
Erdem Gunduz had stared toward a portrait of Kemal Ataturk, the founder
of the modern Turkish state, whose likeness adorns the side of the
Ataturk Cultural Center in the square. By Tuesday, hundreds of other
protesters were emulating him.
Despite the presence of police in the square, a few "standing man" protesters continued
their vigils Wednesday as life about them continued as normal. The
people taking pictures of the protesters outnumbered the protesters
themselves.
The scene here
contrasted with the mayhem in the square Saturday, when police broke up
anti-government protests with tear gas and water cannons.
Turkey has been wracked by more than two weeks of protests against the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The unrest began in
Istanbul in late May, when a small group of people turned out to protest
government plans to bulldoze Gezi Park, one of the city's last green
spaces, and replace it with a shopping mall housed inside a replica of
19th-century Ottoman barracks.
Protesters said the plans represented a creeping infringement on their rights in a secular society.
Soon after the
demonstrations began, security forces cracked down. Instead of ending
the activity, however, the crackdown prompted more people to come out,
many calling for political reforms.
Police, protesters face off in Ankara
Erdogan supporters turn out for rally
Tear gas used to end protests in Turkey
The unrest also brought
political risks for Erdogan, a populist and democratically elected
politician serving his third term in office.
Speaking Tuesday to a
parliamentary group meeting of his Justice and Development (AK) Party,
Erdogan said he had no intention of restricting anyone's democratic
rights. "If you want to make a protest, do it, do it, but do it within
the framework of law," he said.
He accused the international media of misrepresenting events in Turkey.
"Vandalism (footage) was
twisted and displayed as if it was an innocent environmental protest,"
he said. "International media reported on this in a manner to deceive
those who are not acting with them to their side."
Erdogan reiterated that the government will abandon its plans to build in Gezi Park if the people of Istanbul vote against them.
Erdogan plans to muster a show of support this weekend in the Turkish heartland, where he has a strong base.
Rallies are to be held
on behalf of the Justice and Development Party in Kayseri on Friday, in
Samsun on Saturday and in Erzurum on Sunday.
U.N. High Commissioner
for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Tuesday expressed concern about the
tactics used by security forces against demonstrators.
"I am particularly
concerned about allegations of excessive use of force by police against
peaceful groups of protesters as this may have resulted in serious
damage to health," she said in a statement issued from Geneva.
But Erdogan defended the police approach.
"The police forces have passed the democracy test," he said Tuesday, according to the semiofficial Anadolu Agency news service.
He described the use of
tear gas on protesters as an "incontestable right of police" and the
demonstrations as "an unprincipled, immoderate movement that is based on
lies and deception," Anadolu reported.
While the protests are
unlikely to threaten the rule of Erdogan, who is credited with
overseeing a decade of economic growth, they are raising questions about
what critics say is an increasingly authoritarian style of governing.
Journalist Karl Penhaul and CNN's Gul Tuysuz
reported from Istanbul, and journalist Ian Lee reported from Ankara.
CNN's Salma Abdelaziz, Arwa Damon and Joe Duran in Istanbul, Antonia
Mortensen in Ankara and Tom Watkins in Atlanta contributed to this
report.
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