Police detain Ankara Medical Chamber chair, healthcare workers during protest

The chairman of Ankara Medical Chamber was detained along with unionized healthcare workers during a protest in the capital on Jan. 22. The workers were protesting state-run Ankara City Hospital for not granting them benefits.

Friday January 22 2021 01:25 pm

Duvar English

Ankara police detained the chairman of the local medical chamber, along with healthcare workers who are members of unions as they protested in demand of their benefits from state-run Ankara City Hospital on Jan. 22.

Ankara Medical Chamber Chairman Dr. Ali Karakoç, board member Dr. Ayşe Uğurlu, and the co-chairs of the Health Workers Union (SES) Ankara office were among those detained during the peaceful protest.

"Oppression can't discourage us! We will continue to ask for what is ours!" tweeted the Ankara Medical Chamber with a video of the protest.

📢 Baskılar bizi yıldıramaz!

📢 Hakkımızı aramaya devam edeceğiz!

Ankara Tabip Odası Başkanı Dr. Ali Karakoç ve Yönetim Kurulu Üyesi Dr. Ayşe Uğurlu, SES Ankara Şube Eş Başkanları ve Dev Sağlık-İş'lilerin de olduğu çok sayıda kişi gözaltına alındı! pic.twitter.com/jnBgYdY2DH
— Ankara Tabip Odası (@ankaratabipoda) January 22, 2021

Other protesters who were detained on Jan. 22 were members of the Ankara Dentists Chamber, as well as the Progressive Healthcare Workers Union (Dev-Sağlık-İş) and the Health and Social Work Laborers' Union (Sağlık ve Sosya Hizmet Emekçileri Sendikası).

Ankara has gone as far as calling medical chambers terrorist organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic for their criticism of the government's management of the health crisis.