Turkey detains pro-Kurdish leaders as part of "terror probe"November 4, 2016 - 10:47 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The two co-leaders of Turkey's pro-Kurdish opposition party have been detained along with other MPs, BBC news reports. Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag were detained at their respective homes "as part of a counter-terrorism inquiry," security sources quoted by Anadolu news agency said. At least nine other MPs from the People's Democracy Party (HDP) were also taken into custody. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Whatsapp were reported to be inaccessible inside Turkey shortly after the detentions, even when users tried to circumvent restrictions using a virtual private network (VPN). Demirtas had tweeted about his arrest before the sites were restricted. Police searched the HDP's head offices in central Ankara as well as making the arrests. Turkey claims that the HDP has links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a militant group, but the party strongly denies this. The PKK is deemed a terrorist organisation by the U.S., the European Union and Turkey. Turkey remains under a state of emergency that was imposed after a failed coup in July. The emergency allows President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his cabinet to bypass parliament when drafting new laws and to restrict or suspend rights and freedoms. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Court in Azerbaijan extends former Karabakh leader’s arrest by 5 months The Binagadi District Court in Azerbaijan has granted the prosecutor’s petition to extend the arrest of Arkady Ghukasyan. Ucom General Director joins High-Tech Development Panel Discussion The discussion was titled "The Role of International Corporations and Investors as Catalysts for Development of High-Tech Ecosystem." U.S. still believes “peace is possible” between Armenia, Azerbaijan The United States continues to believe that peace is possible between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Vedant Patel says. Dozens detained as antigovernment protest continue in Armenia At least 63 people demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation were detained on May 14 as they blocked streets in Yerevan. |