Dozens arrested in Turkey over PKK links

PanARMENIAN.Net - Dozens of people have been detained in simultaneous operations against the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK), which prosecutors say is a political umbrella organization that includes the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Today’s Zaman reported.

Adana Police Department counterterrorism units raided 40 addresses simultaneously in the Mediterranean province of Adana in the early hours of Friday, Feb 10 morning. The police department has yet to comment on exactly how many people were arrested.

The operations were carried out on the orders of specially authorized prosecutors. The police reported that women and young people under 18 are among those detained for allegedly participating and organizing illegal demonstrations in various districts of Adana. The suspects were taken to the police department after undergoing a health check at the Council of Forensic Medicine (ATK) in Adana.

Police have recently stepped up operations against the KCK. The investigation into the KCK started in December 2009, and a large number of Kurdish politicians, including several mayors from the pro-Kurdish 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.