U.N. chief urges 'maximum restraint' in Turkey amid protests

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday expressed alarm at the violence in Turkey as confrontations between Turkish security forces and protesters continued after three weeks of demonstrations against Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.

"(Ban) remains concerned about ongoing clashes between protesters and security personnel," U.N. spokesman Eduardo del Buey said.

"The secretary-general urges maximum restraint and the pursuit of constructive dialogue in order to resolve differences and avoid further violent confrontation."

This comes as Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he will increase police powers following a wave of anti-government protests.
 
The announcement came Tuesday as police carried out raids and detained dozens of people suspected of involvement in violence against officers.
 
The government has been criticized for the disproportionate use of force by the police in anti-government protests that swept Turkey for over two weeks.

It was a brutal operation against peaceful environmental protesters in Istanbul park on May 31 that sparked nationwide demonstrations and dented Erdogan's international image.
 
Erdogan defended the police saying they had acted with restraint and within their "rights."
 
Erdogan said: "We shall strengthen police ... so that it has increased powers of intervention."

Earlier, police raided multiple addresses in several cities across Turkey, detaining dozens of people following more than two weeks of anti-government protests, local media reported.    

State media TRT said 25 people had been detained in the capital Ankara, 13 in Eskisehir to the west, and "many" in Turkey's biggest city Istanbul.    

Ankara's police anti-terror department said it had no information on the reports.   


REUTERS/AP