Turkey detains 28 in anti-PKK operations

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish police have detained 28 people in simultaneously conducted operations against the outlawed Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) in six different provinces on Tuesday, May 8 morning, Today’s Zaman reported.

According to information the National Police Department shared with the press, police have raided several locations in Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır, Istanbul, Eskişehir, Muş and Ankara and taken 28 people into custody for their alleged links to the terrorist organization. Detainees include the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Şanlıurfa branch head Fatma İzol and her assistant, Mehmet Vural.

Police recently stepped up operations against the KCK, which prosecutors say is a political umbrella organization that includes the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The KCK investigation started in December 2009 and a large number of Kurdish politicians, including several mayors from the BDP, have been detained.

The suspects are accused of various crimes, including membership in a terrorist organization, aiding and abetting a terrorist organization and attempting to destroy the country's unity and integrity. BDP officials have said the investigation is the government's method of suppressing BDP politicians, denying any links between the suspects and any terrorist organizations.