Co-chair, executives of Democratic Regions Party detained during raids across several cities

Photo: MA

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Police raided the Democratic Regions Party's (HDP) headquarters in the capital of Ankara and office in Diyarbakır, as well as party members' homes across several cities early today (December 23).

The party's co-chair Keskin Bayındır was detained during the raids. Its provincial co-chairs in Şırnak (Zeki İrmez), Van (Şengül Polat and Harun Okay), Urfa (Hidayet Enmek), Batman (Ethem Ünal and Zeliha Aslan), and Mardin (Şerafettin Aslan) are also among the detained, Mezopotamya Agency (MA) reported.

The DBP is a Kurdish issue-focused party mainly operating in the country's predominantly Kurdish-populated eastern and southeastern provinces. It is also one of the several political parties and organizations forming the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).

In a statement on its Twitter account, the party said, "The fascism must know that policies of oppression will not yield a result. You will not see a single Kurd who bows down to fascism and takes a step back."

HDP deputies went outside the DBP headquarters while the police search was underway.

The police cordoned off the street where the headquarters is located and did not give any information about the investigation.

"The headquarters and provincial organizations of the Democratic Regions Party, a party that is one of our constituents, are raided and its executives are being detained. This attempt at a coup and to prohibit politics shows the government's fears. You can't intimidate the Kurdish people with these attacks," the HDP said in a statement. (TY/VK)