28 arrested in Turkey in anti-PKK raids

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish police detained 28 suspects in simultaneous operations conducted in three provinces early on Monday, May 28 as part of a probe into the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), an umbrella political organization that includes the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Today’s Zaman reported.

According to information the National Police Department shared with the press, police raided several locations in Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır and İzmir, taking 28 people into custody for alleged links to the KCK. Police also seized a number of illegal publications, hard disks and PKK-related documents during the raids.

The KCK investigation began in December 2009, and a large number of Kurdish politicians, including several mayors from the Peace and Democracy Party (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.