Turkish lawyers detained for supporting protests

Turkish police on Tuesday detained more than 50 lawyers in Istanbul for joining the Gezi Park protests, which have been going on across the country for two weeks, Hurriyet Daily News reported. The lawyers were detained at Caglayan Courthouse, where they were holding protests in support of the demonstrations staged two weeks ago against the demolition of the Gezi Park in the Mediterranean city, the report said. "The detention of the lawyers at the courthouse by force brings about the question of what kind of democracy we are living in," the Ankara Bar Association said in a statement, adding no one could feel secure in a country where even lawyers were arrested from a courthouse by police. Earlier Tuesday, hundreds of Turkish riot police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters in Istanbul's Taksim Square where the park is located, leaving a number of protesters injured. The move came after Erdogan agreed to meet the protests' organizers on Wednesday. Over the past two weeks, the nationwide protests have left at least three people and one policeman dead and about 5,000 others injured. Organizers of the protests said earlier that they would continue their "struggle" until their demands are met by the government through tangible steps.