ISTANBUL – At least 20 people, including HDK and HDP executives, were detained in house raids in Istanbul and Kırklareli.

 

In the morning hours, police raided many houses simultaneously in Istanbul and Kırklareli. At least 20 people, including the executives of the People's Democratic Congress (HDK), the People's Democratic Party (HDP) and non-governmental organizations, were detained during the raids. The people whose reasons for detention could not be learned were taken to the Istanbul Provincial Police Department. It was stated that the number of detentions may increase.

 

AT LEAST 20 PEOPLE DETAINED

 

Some of the names taken into custody are as follows: HDK General Assembly member Umut Ezber, HDP PM member Cengiz Topbaşlı, Democratic Alevi Associations (DAD) Co-chair Kadriye Doğan, Kurdish Studies Association Co-chair Eyüp Subaşı, HDP Pendik District Co-chair Oya Aytekin, HDP Provincial Organization executives Çetin. Aslanboğa and Mesut Fırat, HDP Ataşehir District Organization executive Halil Aksu, HDP Bakırköy District Co-chair Gonca Yangöz and Mehmet Akçiçek, Bülent Yıldırım, Zaynel Azadi, Fikriye Sarıgöl, Burcu Demir, Fethiye Kızmaz, Behiye Demir, Hüseyin Avras, Baran Sümbül, Oktay Okşal and Behiye Duman.

 

STATEMENT FROM THE MINISTER

 

In his statement regarding the detentions, Minister of Internal Affairs Ali Yerlikaya announced that operations were carried out at 26 different addresses. In Yerlikaya's social media post, detained politicians and representatives of non-governmental organizations were targeted for allegedly "aiding the organisation".