Turkey doctors say harassed by police in anti-govt. protests

Turkish doctors say they have been harassed by police and security forces during anti-government demonstrations last year.

The doctors said riot police attacked them with tear gas while they were treating anti-government protesters, the Associated Press said in a report on Thursday after interviewing several doctors in Turkey.

The doctors added that police officers chased and beat the protesters in hospitals, pressing the doctors to reveal the names of demonstrators they had treated.

They also said the authorities ignored calls for more resources to treat the wounded.

Anti-government demonstrations erupted in late May 2013, when people in Istanbul protested against the planned destruction of Gezi Park in the city’s Taksim Square.

However, the protests soon spread across the country and snowballed into a nationwide outburst of anger against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rule.

Meanwhile, the Turkish parliament passed a bill last week, giving new powers to authorities to prosecute doctors for treating the protesters.

The bill came after recent anti-government demonstrations over a corruption scandal that led Erdogan to announce a major cabinet reshuffle after a number of governmental officials and prominent businessmen close to his government were arrested.

Erdogan described the scandal as a “plot” against the country’s “future and stability,” saying that foreign-backed elements in Turkey are planning to oust his government.