Recently it has been understood that Eskişehir Chief Prosecutor's Office has brought two more lawsuits against arrested hunger strike academic Nuriye Gülmen on charges of participating in commemoration rallies for Gezi victim Ali İsmail Korkmaz and being a member of Gülenist FETÖ movement.
In Turkey, 150 journalists have been imprisoned and more than 150,000 people have been suspended from their jobs due to the State of Emergency Rule, on various charges such as “being a member of a terror organization”, “committing crimes on behalf of a terror organization”, “propagating for a terror organization” and “attempting to abolish the constitutional order”. The state of emergency rule, first introduced as a temporary execution for purging members of Gülenist movement from the state institutions, due to alleged lead role in the July 15 coup attempt has spread out to many people of various political aspects, especially progressive groups and leftist parties. Academic Nuriye Gülmen and school teacher Semih Özakça are among those who have been suspended and later dismissed from their jobs with decree rulings. Their hunger strike which marks 261th day today, has received widespread support from progressive groups in Turkey  to a large extent. They have been jailed and declared as “terrorists” by the government and the mainstream media. While Semih Özakça was released in the third hearing of trial, Gülmen still remains in jail. Nuriye Gülmen had initially commenced her resistance with her sit-in protest in front of Human Rights Monument in Ankara on November 9, 2016. Her sit-in protest continued with participation of Veli Saçılık, Acun Karadağ and Semih Özakça, who have been dismissed from their jobs due to decree rulings. Even though they were detained routinely almost every day, they did not step back. On November 28, 2016, Gülmen and Özakça's 'right to protest' was approved, from which they commenced their hunger strike on March 9, 2017, in protest of dismissal from their jobs. TWO LAWSUITS AGAINST NURİYE GÜLMEN: MEMBERSHIP TO DHKP-C AND GÜLENIST FETÖ MOVEMENT A while ago Chief Prosecutor's Office has brought two more lawsuits against Gülmen on charges of participating in commemoration rallies for Gezi victim Ali İsmail Korkmaz, and being a member to Gülenist FETÖ movement. According to the report by Mesut Benli, journalist at Hürriyet Daily Newspaper, Nuriye Gülmen had been living in Eskişehir in the year 2013. In 2013 – 2014 she participated in several rallies and activities for Ali İsmail Korkmaz, a 19-year old student who was beaten to death by the police and shop owners during Gezi Park Protests in June 2013. On the grounds of her participation to such events, Eskişehir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has brought a lawsuit against Gülmen in June 13, 2017, on charges of being a member to DHKP-C -an armed organization- and propagating the organization, to which some events and the press statement issued during Ali Ismail Korkmaz commemoration rallies have been regarded as evidence. For the very same reason, her participation to such events, the chief public prosecutor’s office has filed another lawsuit against Gülmen in October 17, 2017, for charges of being a member to Gülenist FETÖ Movement, which later has been nonsuited in the indictment. The indictment concluded as “Supplemental verdict of non-prosecution for Nuriye Gülmen’s charges of being a member to Gülenist FETÖ armed organization has been given.” One of Gülmen’s lawyers Murat Yılmaz remarked that the intention is the fill the case file as a means of bringing more lawsuits against her. STRIKING PHRASE FOR ALİ İSMAİL KORKMAZ IN THE INDICTMENT: “ALLEGEDLY INJURED DURING GEZI PARK RIOTS” The expression used in the indictment for Ali İsmail Korkmaz was striking. Even though he was murdered by the police and shop owners during "Gezi Park Riots", which has been approved by the supreme court decision, Korkmaz has been referred as “the person who has been allegedly injured during Gezi Park Riots” in the indictment. The respected rallies and events cited for the two lawsuits against Gülmen:
  • On August 24, 2013, Gülmen participated in a rally with banners: “Do not arrest Gezi resisters; arrest the murderers of Korkmaz” in Eskişehir.
  • On November 20, 2013, she attended a theater play, staging the murder of Ali İsmail Korkmaz in Eskişehir’s İsmet İnönü Avenue.
  • On February 1, 2014, she distributed leaflets calling for the hearing trial of Korkmaz’s death that were to take place in Kayseri.
  • On October 28, 2013, she went to Eskişehir to Ankara in order to attend the hearing of Ethem Sarısülük, who was killed during Gezi Park Protests.
  • On September 10, 2013, she participated in a rally held for Ahmet Atakan, who lost his life during Gezi Park Protests in Hatay.