HDP, DBP, Rosa Women’s Association Members Detained in Diyarbakır

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In house raids conducted in Turkey's Kurdish-majority Diyarbakır province yesterday (June 7), five people were taken into custody.

As part of an investigation launched by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the following people have been detained: Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Party Assembly member Eşref Mamedoğlu, Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Party Assembly member Ramazan Dengiz, Rosa Women's Association member Suzan İşbilen, HDP former executive Hasan Kale and Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK) Genel-İş Union No. 1 Branch Chair Hasan Hayri Eroğlu.

As reported by Mezopotamya Agency (MA), Gülistan Nazlıer from Rosa Women's Association, against whom there was also a warrant, was not at her residential address when the police raid was conducted.

Taken into custody by the police, five people were reportedly taken to the Anti-Terror Branch of the Diyarbakır Provincial Security Directorate.

Nazlıer also taken into custody

As reported further by the MA today (June 8), Nazlıer went to the Abalı District Gendarmerie Station for deposition. She has also been detained.

While there is a confidentiality order on the investigation and a restriction of meeting attorneys for 24 hours, it has been further reported that several books, magazines, day planners, SIM cards, flash disks and laptops were confiscated during the searches in houses.

The detained are currently held in Diyarbakır Security Directorate. Suzan İşbilen is reportedly held in a solitary cell on the ground that she is in coronavirus risk group due to her KOAH disease.

12 people previously arrested in Diyarbakır

As part of an investigation conducted by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and Democratic Regions Party (DBP) politicians as well as Rosa Women's Association members and Free Women Movement (TJA) activists were taken into custody in house raids in early morning hours on May 22, 2020.

While the trustee protests, statements, death fasts and protests against the isolation of jailed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan were cited as the reason for the detention of 18 people, the mobile phones, books, CDs and laptops were depicted as criminal evidence.

The following people were detained as part of the operation: Rosa Women's Association founding member Narin Gezgör; Rosa Women's Association founding member and former HDP MP Ayla Akat Ata, Rosa Women's Association Chair Adalet Kaya, TJA activist Zelal Bilgin, DBP former Co-Chairs Mehmet Arslan and Gülcihan Şimşek, HDP Central Executive Committee member Özlem Gündüz, HDP Yenişehir District Co-Chairs Remziye Sızıcı and Kasım Kaya, HDP member Mehmet Ali Altınkaynak, DBP Party Assembly member Celal Yoldaş, Bağlar Municipal Council members Hüseyin Harman, Veysi Kuzu and Gönül Aslan, Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipal Council member Sevim Coşkun, Diyarbakır Peace Mothers Assembly member Havva Kıran, Yenişehir Municipal Council member Nevriye Çır and and Nazile Tursun.

As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), referred to the Penal Judgeship of Peace on Duty to be arrested following their interrogation at the prosecutor's office, 12 people have been arrested for "membership of a terrorist organization" while six people, including former Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MP Ayla Akat Ata, have been released on probation. (RT/SD)