Dismissed educators Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça are on the 169th day of hunger strike demanding to be reinstated, for which reason they were jailed on May 23.

Lawyers for Gülmen and Özakça were due to make a press statement in Turkish capital city Ankara today to voice the two educators’ demand to be reinstated, but faced a crackdown by the police.

Lawyers Ebru Timtik, Ayşegül Çağatay, Didem Baydar Ünsal, Naim Eminoğlu, Refik Atalay and FOSEM (Photography and Cinema Workers) member Meral Gökoğlu were dragged out of the scene and detained by the police.

Police also obstructed the press from covering the demonstration, and subjected press members to criminal record check.