After the 2018 case of the Italian activist arrested in Turkey and then released, another photocopy arrest. This time, the Italian girl arrested yesterday in Istanbul during a feminist march not authorized by the Prefecture is called Delilah Procopius. Tomorrow the young woman will be transferred to a repatriation centre. This was stated by a lawyer who is part of the group of activists who organized the demonstration on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Dalila Procopio had spent a period in Turkey as an Erasmus student and, after returning to Italy, she returned to Istanbul in September on a tourist visa.
The Farnesina
In the afternoon it was the Foreign Ministry that confirmed the detention of the young woman, explaining that they were in contact with the girl’s father and with the Turkish authorities, and that “we are working to resolve the situation positively”. The Turkish association of female activists Mor Dayanisma initially denounced the detention, according to which an Azerbaijani woman was also detained after participating in the demonstration.
The post on Instagram
“Two women, from Azerbaijan and Italy, are still detained and could be deported,” read an Instagram post by the association which denounced a “violent police repression” against protesters and dozens of arrests. About 200 women were arrested during the demonstration. Many women have decided to take to the streets in Istanbul, despite the fact that the authorities had banned the demonstration. According to the activists, the police immediately surrounded the demonstrators, and then proceeded with arrests, insults, threats and searches. The association also published a photo of a young woman who allegedly had her leg broken in two places while in police custody. Also according to the activists, the volunteer lawyers were prevented from meeting the arrested women, most of whom were then released during the night and this morning.