Police Rounds Up Workers Union Members

Turkish police have carried out an operation across 28 cities yesterday morning, detaining 167 individuals suspected for being a leftist DHKP-C organization member.

Police operations also targeted the headquarters of a major workers union, KESK, located in Ankara.

"I'm calling to police forces here. We know that you have been unlawfully monitoring our activities for several years. You don't need to do that. We can provide anything if asked. We think you are launching this operation to denigrate and criminalize our struggle," Lami Özgen, KESK chairperson, said in a statement.

Özgen reminded that 59 active members of KESK have recently been jailed for being a KCK organization member.

"They were only involved in workers union related activities," Özgen said.

Engin Gökoğlu, a human rights lawyer, said detainees visiting rights were restricted in the first 24 hours of their detention.

Individuals who have been detained in minor cities are being transferred to Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir provinces, police reported.

In Istanbul, police rounded up 50 individuals including doctors and nurses.

"Police arrived in the hospital at  6 am and searched the chamber of a nurse. They checked her computer. Then they broke into a doctor's room and searched his belonging. Two of them were detained afterwards," a medical doctor from Şişli Children's Hospital told bianet.

Another human rights lawyer Süleyman Gökten said a 3 month old infant was observed amid detainees.

"The baby belonged to Ebru Erbulan and Ejder Erbulan who were detained in Istanbul for being a DHKP-C member. The little one was on the side of mother during her testimony which almost took 12 hours," Gökten said.

"The baby, along Ebru Erbulan, was freed afterwards." (AS/BM)

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