HDP Co-Chairs, MPs Detained by House Raids

Click to read the article in Turkish

12 MPs including Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chairs have been detained in house raids.

HDP Co-Chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, Şırnak MPs Ferhat Encü, Leyla Birlik, Hakkari MPs Selma Irmak, Abdullah Zaydan, Diyarbakır MPs İdris Baluken, Nursel Aydoğan, Ziya Pir, Ankara MP Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Mardin MP Gülser Yıldırım are in custody.

There are detention warrants for HDP MPs Faysal Sarıyıldız and Tuğba Hezer Öztürk.

The HDP announced that Central Executive Board members and MPs will make a statement at party headquarters today (November 4) at 10 a.m.

Announcement by the Ministry of Interior

According to the statement made by the Ministry of Interior, "the MPs Ferhat Encü, Leyla Birlik, Selma Irmak, Abdullah Zeydan, Selahattin Demirtaş, İdris Baluken, Figen Yüksekdağ Şenoğlu, Sırrı Süreyya Önder, Ziya Pir, Gülser Yıldırım, Nursel Aydoğan have been detained by police forces in accordance with the orders given by Chief Public Prosecutor's Offices of Diyarbakır, Şırnak, Hakkari, Van and Bingöl".

"Faysal Sarıyıldız and Tuğba Hezer Öztürk for whom arrest warrants have been issued are abroad. The legal process for İmam Taşçıer and Nihat Akdoğan for whom custody warrant have been issued is still ongoing".

Announcement by chief public prosecutor's office

Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office delivered a statement about the operation.

The announcement stated that HDP MPs Demirtaş, Yüksekdağ, Önder, Pir, Yıldırım and Taşçıer are being charged with "being member of an armed terror organization, provoking for terror organiztion".

Noting that parliamentary immunity of these MPs was lifted, the statement added that search and detention warrants were issued due to the fact that "solid evidence were obtained raising suspicion for a possible crime".

The Governorship placed ban on HDP's statement

HDP had announced that Executive Board members and MPs would make a statement today at 10 a.m. at party headquarters.

However, the police stopped exits and entrances to the building by Ankara Governorship's order. Upon this order, HDP Spokesperson Ayhan Bilgen delivered a statement via Periscope in front of the headquarter building. (AS/TK)