The further police action against demonstrators contradicted statements by the Governor of Istanbul this morning that they would not intervene in the park.

Activists have been protesting against the construction of a shopping centre in Gezi Park adjacent to the square, which is one of downtown Istanbul’s last green spaces.

In a statement to media, Istanbul’s Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu said the intervention in Taksim Square was being carried out to remove banners from the Atatürk statue and the Atatürk Culture Centre on the square and that the police would not intervene in Gezi Park.

“The protests in Taksim Square and Gezi Park have been entirely peaceful and have a right to continue. Intervention by the authorities should only be carried out for legitimate reasons – wanting to have a few banners taken down is, simply, not adequate justification,” said Andrew Gardner, Turkey researcher at Amnesty International who is currently in Istanbul.

“When we met with the Governor this afternoon, he continued to insist that the police were using appropriate force in pursuit of legitimate goals. Neither of these claims is consistent with the reality on the ground.”

Amnesty International has also learned that some 72 lawyers were arrested at around 12 noon local time as they gathered to make a statement about the situation in Gezi Park at the Çağlayan Courthouse. They were initially held at the courthouse and then subsequently taken to Vatan Street police station.

Since protests began In Istanbul and across Turkey around two weeks ago, thousands of peaceful protesters have been reported injured as a result of police interventions. Up to three people have reportedly died in the course of the protests: one as a result of the excessive use of force and two, including one police officer, following accidents.

The Istanbul Medical Association revealed that there were more casualties as a result of today’s police assault on protesters. These included nine people injured by plastic bullets, several broken limbs, a number of cases of head and chest trauma and one fractured skull.

The Turkish authorities have, so far, failed to investigate any of the reports of abuse and no one has been brought to justice.

“Instead of continuing to repress peaceful activists, the Turkish authorities should start to look at the actions of their own police and bring to justice those responsible for the shocking abuse we have seen over the past two weeks,” said Gardner.

The demonstrations began a week ago with a protest against the Turkish government’s plan to build a shopping mall in part of Istanbul’s Taksim Square. They spread late last week into larger nationwide demonstrations against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), according to news reports. More than 1,000 have been injured in the last four days, the reports said.

“We call on Turkish police to ensure that journalists are able to cover these significant news events without being obstructed or attacked,” CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova said. “Reporters have been caught between overzealous law enforcement and unruly crowds.”

Tugba Tekerek, correspondent for the daily Taraf, told CPJ that police tried to prevent her from taking photographs in Besiktas district in Istanbul on Sunday. She said she identified herself as a journalist to the officers. Tekerek also said several police wrested a scarf from her face, which she was using to shield herself from tear gas.

Police firing rubber bullets into a crowd in Taksim Square hit two reporters, ATV correspondent Mesut Çiftçi and cameraman Ismail Velioglu, on Sunday, the reports said. Staff at ATV told CPJ that Çiftçi was hit in the shoulder and Velioglu was hit in the hand, but neither suffered any broken bones or other trauma.

Caner Dalgıç, cameraman for the TV8 television, said protesters threw stones at him and chased him on Saturday afternoon. He told CPJ he was hit by two stones while getting out of his car to cover protests in Ankara, and sought shelter with the police.

Police detained Erhan Karadag, a bureau chief for Kanal D TV, in Ankara on Saturday night but released him the next day. Karadağ told CPJ he was arrested while carrying bottles of water and milk, which is used to soothe effects of tear gas.

Protesters also gathered in front of the studios of NTV on Monday and demonstrated against the outlet’s conservative editorial stance, according to news reports. NTV was among mainstream TV channels that had chosen to play down the anti-government protests that erupted in Istanbul and other cities. Many traditional media outlets, conscious of Erdogan’s harsh disapproval of critical coverage, opted to play down the protests, thereby incurring the discontent of demonstrators, who see them as failing to do their journalistic duty.

The offices of the pro-government Haberturk television and the daily newspaper Sabah were surrounded by protesters on both Sunday and Monday, according to news reports. Protesters shouted “sell-out media!” and called for a boycott of the mainstream channels, the reports said.

Demonstrators also attacked news vehicles during the protests on Saturday. The vans of TV channels NTV and Fox TV were sprayed with paint and pushed on their side, according to news reports. Posts on social media said TV channels CNN Turk, NTV, and Haberturk were being targeted because they had not covered the protests or had covered them from the government’s perspective.

Prime Minister Erdogan attacked social media networks for spreading what he considered to be false information and calling them the “worst menace to societies.” He said news outlets “under the roof of the [opposition] Republican People’s Party (CHP) [were making] highly irresponsible, provocative broadcasting.”

“When top government officials make anti-media statements, hostility against journalists is interpreted as allowed, even approved,” CPJ’s Ognianova said. “We urge Prime Minister Erdogan to publicly denounce the violence against journalists and ensure all media can work freely.”

The demonstrations began after a small band of environmentalists protested a government project to cut down trees in Taksim Square. Police moved in to the area, set fire to the protesters’ tents, and sprayed them with tear gas. Images of the attacks spread on social media, galvanizing thousands into protesting in Taksim Square.

“It may eventually visit Gaza and the West Bank in April,” state news agency Anatolia quoted Erdogan as saying.

Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh had already announced March 22, hours after Israel’s apology, that Erdoğan would visit Gaza soon.

Taher al-Nunu, spokesman for Ismael Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas government in the Gaza, confirmed that “Recep Tayyip Erdogan will soon visit the Gaza Strip where he will meet with Prime Minister (Haniyeh)”.

After three years of strained relations Israel issued a formal apology to Turkey and agreed to pay compensation over the Mavi Marmara killings of 2010 on March 22 after a phone conversation between the two countries’ premiers, Benjamin Netanyahu and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

On May 31, 2010 the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) boarded the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara, the largest ship in a flotilla aimed at breaking Israel’s siege on Gaza in May 2010, leaving nine pro-Palestinian activists dead.

Turkey demanded a formal apology but Israel refused to make a formal apology and pay conpensation to families of the dead. As a result, expelled Jerusalem’s ambassador from Ankara.

Diplomatic ties were severely downgraded, ever since.

Meanwhile Foreign Minister Davutoglu said in a statement that tough negotiations were conducted in the last 3 years concerning Turkey’s demands from Israel with a view to normalization of relations and in the end Turkey’s demands were met.

Pointing that the content of the phone call between Prime Minister Erdoğan and Israeli Prime Minister was agreed in advance, Foreign Minister Davutoglu mentioned that negotiations were held through U.S. officials.

Prior to the phone call between the Prime Ministers, officials of Al Fatah, Hamas, Egypt and Qatar were contacted, added Foreign Minister Davutoglu.

Recalling that Israel did not object the compensation but opposed the demand for apology from the very beginning Foreign Minister Davutoglu explained that there would be negotiations concerning the compensation to the victims’ families in respect of international law.

Foreign Minister Davutoglu said that the easing of embargo on Gaza started and stressed that Turkey would closely monitor the practice concerning the embargo.

Foreign Minister Davutoglu pointing the timing of the recent development said that this step would strengthen the position of Palestine and would crystallize Turkey’s role in the Middle East Peace Process.

Earlier, during the second Greek-Turkish High-Level Cooperation Council, the two sides had signed 25 separate bilateral agreements.

Summarising the results during joint statements with the Turkish premier, Samaras said it had been “a good day for relations between the two countries,” AMNA reports from Istanbul.

During this joint press conference, Erdogan reported that they had shared a “common conviction based on the principles of a win-win solution,” that there should be “steps for an Exclusive Economic Zone in the Eastern Mediterranean.” Samaras, however, stated that this was “not the time to go into details” on this issue and that Greece “reserved the rights arising from international law.”

Samaras stressed that Greece, in spite of the crisis, remained a stable factor for peace and security in the region, adding that the meetings aimed to build up good neighbour relations and attempt to resolve differences.

On the issue of the continental shelf, he said this was a subject of exploratory talks between the two sides and emphasised Greece’s commitment to international law and international treaties. “We are establishing relations of mutual respect. The golden rule for a good relationship is mutual respect, national sovereignty and respect for international law,” Samaras underlined, according to the agency.

The Premier expressed Greece’s support for Turkey’s full accession to the European Union, stressing that this was a “fixed point of reference” but one requiring that Turkey fully comply with all the obligations of an EU candidate state. He said that Greece wanted a solution to the Cyprus problem that respected European rules and regulations, international law and the decisions of the UN Security Council.

The Turkish Prime Minister described yesterday’s meetings as “very useful” and stressed that the number of agreements signed, as well as the 22 agreements signed in 2010, “are indicative of the progress we have made in areas of cooperation”.

“Greece and Turkey are neighbouring countries and are fulfilling their obligations. Neighbourhood has obligations,” he said, adding that the meeting had served to “examine the issues that have been realised and those that can be realised.”

Erdogan said: “We believe the constructive atmosphere between our countries, the mutual understanding and good-neighborliness will strengthen our ties further,” he said. The Turkish prime minister added, however, that “there are still issues we do not agree on and our disagreements may be significant, but we are trying to forge relations of mutual respect.”

On the issue of a state mosque in Athens, which Ankara recently offered to sponsor, Samaras said that a Greek state project for an official state-backed place of worship for Muslims in the Greek capital was in the works.

The premiers co-signed 25 bilateral agreements on issues ranging from trade to tourism to natural disaster relief. Erdogan said the goal was to double last year’s 6.5 billion euros in bilateral trade this year. He said Ankara wanted to contribute to Greece’s economic recovery, declaring that “Greece’s problems are our problems.”

“A buffer zone, a security zone, are things being studied,” Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told reporters, adding that this was only a suggestion being considered.

It has been made clear that a buffer zone inside Syria would need to be secured which would require at least  Syrian government approval, that could bring Turkish forces into confrontation with Syrian forces reports Reuters.

Turkish Prime Minister also said he was considering recalling its ambassador from Damascus once Turkish citizens had fleed Syria, which the Turkish Foreign Ministry urged them to do at once.

Turkey says that there are currently 14,700 Syrian refugees living in camps on its territory. On Thursday it announced there had been an increase in the flow, with some one thousand arriving within one day, as Fighting has moved closer to the Turkish border, with a government attack in the Idlib region.

At the same time, UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan urged the Security Council to end its differences over Syria and unite to end the bloody crackdown on protesters.

As Assad’s  isolation grows, four members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) announced the closures of their embassies in protest against itsbrutal crackdown, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) .

Russia, one of Assad’s few remaining allies , condemned the decision, saying it was essential to keep communication.

Russia and China have vetoed two resolutions on Syria in the past six months saying they were unbalanced. The council has been internationally critisized for its failure to pass a resolution in the year of the revolt.

Chinese and Russian vetos have hampered Western and Arab-backed diplomatic action over Syria in the United Nations. Turkey is looking for closer co-operation with the Arab League, while pressing Russia to

The Syrian crisis has put new energy into old allegiances in what had been shifting diplomatic territory in the region. Syria and Russia are old allies, but Syria, already close to Iran, had been moving closer to Turkey until earlier this year.