Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is meeting with a group of anti-government demonstrators to discuss concerns on Wednesday.
However, many civic associations and protesters in Taksim Square have rejected the meeting, arguing that the group of 11 students, academics and artists was chosen by the government, according to Voice of America.
The talks between Erdogan and the activists follow a night of tense clashes between protesters and police.
Approximately 60 lawyers were detained, according to Hurriyet Daily News. Two thousand lawyers protested the detention of their colleagues on Wednesday at Istanbul’s Caglayan Courthouse.
The group was also angered by the rough treatment of their fellow lawyers, reports CBC. The demonstrators chanted various slogans, including “Everywhere Taksim, everywhere resistance,” “Resign, prosecutor,” and “Prosecutor, look here, count how many we are.”
In a statement on June 12, the chief prosecutor said the lawyers had upset the “public order” and that only a few of them were wearing their legal robes at the time.
“Illegal use of gas canisters and plastic bullets targeting anyone around disregards our citizens’ safety. We are not bugs to be killed by gassing, we are human,” said Istanbul Bar Association leader Umit Kocasakal.
The protests, which began on May 28, quickly spread across Turkey after police violence sparked already-brewing anti-government sentiments among more secular and liberal citizens.
The current Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Erdogan represent the Islamist conservative Justice and Development Party. Erdogan has been widely criticized for authoritarian tendencies.
Images: Twitter, Twitpic, Twitpic
There has been a critical error on your website.<\/p>
Learn more about debugging in WordPress.<\/a><\/p>","data":{"status":500},"additional_errors":[]}