Kobani operation: Detention warrant against 82 people in 7 provinces

* Photo: Kars, Cüneyt Çelik / AA

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Detention warrants have been issued against 82 people in 7 provinces as part of an investigation launched by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into the Kobani protests on October 6-12, 2014.

As part of this operation, several people have been taken into custody in house raids carried out earlier today (September 25).

Speaking to bianet, lawyer Levent Pişkin has indicated that the ones who were detained in İstanbul and held in the Provincial Security Directorate on Vatan Avenue have set off for the capital city of Ankara, where the investigation is conducted. According to Pişkin, as part of a restriction order, the attorneys will not be allowed to meet their detained clients for 24 hours.

As the reason for this restriction, it is indicated as the "possibility of spoliation or destruction of evidence" and the possibility that the persons who have not been caught as part of the same file might flee."

Among the detained are also the then Central Executive Committee members of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). According to initial reports, the following people are currently in detention: 

HDP's Kars Co-Mayor Ayhan Bilgen, HDP's Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) member Ali Ürküt, HDP Foreign Relations Commission member Nazmi Gür, HDP former Central Executive Committee member Can Memiş, Gülfer Akkaya, Berfin Köse, Bircan Yorulmaz, HDP Central Executive Committee member Alp Altınörs, former MPs Sırrı Süreyya Önder, Ayla Akat Aka, Emine Ayna, Beyza Üstün and Altan Tan, HDK-HDP Women's Assembly member Dilek Yağlı, HDP former Party Assembly member Pervin Oduncu, HDP former spokesperson Günay Kubilay.

* Sırrı Süreyya Önder, Photo: AA

Four-day detention period

Announcing the detention of Bilgen on Twitter, Kars Co-Mayor Şevin Alaca has indicated that there is a four-day arrest warrant against Bilgen.

kars belediye eş başkanı ayhan bilgen’in gözaltına alınıp zırhlı araca konulduğu an. arkadan gelen ses sokaktan geçerken durumu öğrenen kars halkı: ‘ayhan başkan seninle gurur duyuyoruz’ pic.twitter.com/ww66f3zUle

— bilal seçkin (@bilalseckin) September 25, 2020

Statement by the prosecutor's office

As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has released a written statement about the operation.

Sharing background information regarding Kobani protests, the statement has indicated, "An investigation was launched with no. 2014/146757 by our Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office Terror Crimes Investigation Bureau against the so-called executives of the Kurdistan Workers Party / Kurdistan Communities Union (PKK/KCK) terrorist organizations and some executives and members of the party; while Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ Şenoğlu are currently arrested as part of the investigation, it has been decided to detain 82 suspects in 7 provinces as of September 25, 2020, considering the current state of the investigation. The efforts to catch the suspects as required by this decision are ongoing by the teams of Ankara Provincial Security Directorate Anti-Terror Bureau."

The statement of the prosecutor's office has also indicated the following about the "Kobani incidents" in October 2014.

"On October 6-7-8, 2014, in acts of terrorism generally known as 'Kobani' incidents in our country; the co-called executives, youth organization, women's organization and armed city organization of the PKK/KCK terrorist organization as well as the HDP Central Executive Committee members and co-chairs made several calls to the people to take to the streets and commit acts of violence through social media accounts and some media outlets affiliated with the PKK/KCK terrorist organization such as "Fırat News Agency and Youth Organization, Women's Organization, etc.'

"Following these calls, on October 7-8-9, 2014, especially starting from October 6, 2014, incidents occured in 35 provinces, primarily  in the East and Southeast, 96 districts and 131 residential areas, where roads were barricaded, public buildings and vehicles as well citizens' residences, workplaces and vehicles of citizens were attacked with long-barreled guns, molotov cocktails, fireworks, sticks and stones, several citizens and security officers were wounded and citizens lost their lives in some cities."

Kobani protests

Before the protests held to support Kobani in northern Syria in 2014, those who were waiting in the district of Suruç, Urfa in southeastern Turkey and wanted to cross the border were intervened with pepper gas and rubber bullets. In the meantime, some pictures allegedly showing ISIS militia crossing the border of Turkey were published.

President and ruing AKP Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made statements indicating that they equated PKK with ISIS. While the wounded coming from Kobani were kept waiting on the border, the wounded from ISIS were treated at hospitals. Several news reports were reported in the press, saying "Kobani fell." These news reports were denied every time.

After the HDP made a call to take to the streets against a possible massacre in Kobani, thousands of people protested in Kurdish-majority provinces as well as Ankara and İstanbul. While left parties also supported these protests, deaths also occurred with the onset of police violence. Street conflicts ensued. 42 people lost their lives from October 6 to 12, 2014.

According to a report by the Human Rights Association (İHD), 46 people died, 682 people were wounded and 323 people were arrested in the protests held between September 7 and 12, 2014. As reported by the AA, 31 people lost their lives, 221 citizens and 139 police officers were wounded.

Investigation started a year ago

Conducted by Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor Yüksel Kocaman, the investigation started a year ago. First, the depositions of former jailed HDP Co-Chairs Figen Yüksekdağ and Selahattin Demirtaş were interrogated as part of this investigation. Released in the trial where he had been arrested pending trial, Demirtaş faced another ruling of arrest as part of this "Kobani investigation" on the same day. (TP/SD)