Turkey arrests hunger strikers on 'terror' chargesMay 24, 2017 - 13:02 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A Turkish court has placed under arrest on terror charges an academic and a teacher who have been on a long hunger strike to protest against their dismissal in a purge after last year's failed coup, reports said, according to AFP. Nuriye Gulmen and Semih Ozakca were remanded in custody ahead of trial by an Ankara court late Tuesday, May 23 on charges of "membership of a terror organisation", the NTV and CNN-Turk channels said. They had initially been detained on Monday. Both were sacked under the state of emergency imposed after the July 15 attempted coup seeking to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that has seen tens of thousands lose their jobs. Former primary school teacher Ozakca and academic Gulmen began their hunger strike two-and-a-half months ago and have been surviving on water alone. In a video published as they attended their court hearing, the pair said they were determined to continue their struggle. "We will continue our fight until we are victorious," said Ozakca. "For us, the resistance will continue in prison. I invite everyone to continue the resistance outside," said Gulmen. A protest in their support Tuesday afternoon in Ankara was violently dispersed by the police, with several people arrested. Some reports indicated they were accused of membership of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C), an outlawed Marxist group. Over 100,000 people from the public sector including judges, teachers, doctors and members of the armed forces have been dismissed in a series of purges criticised by the West and human rights activists. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |