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Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MP Ayşe Acar Başaran has released a written statement regarding the house raids conducted against the party in İzmir, Mardin and Şırnak yesterday morning (August 15).
Indicating that 21 people including municipal assembly members, HDP district co-chairs and youth assembly members were taken into custody, Acar Başaran stated the following in brief:
"We condemn the ongoing detentions in the strongest terms possible. All of our friends doing democratic politics should be released immediately and this thread of detentions contrary to political ethics need to be ended.
"These political operations that are launched every other day and are devoid of any legal grounds have been damaging human rights and freedoms to a dangerous extent.
'They want to create a climate of fear'
"It is blatantly obvious that these attacks aiming to intensify the climate of fear does not bring any good to the current government. For years and years, it has been proven that such a futile, unlawful and illegal method of 'trying to intimidate with detentions and arrests' does not work.
'Over 6 thousand people behind bars'
"Since 2015, at least 12 thousand people including the HDP MPs, co-mayors, party executives, members and supporters have been taken into custody. Over 6 thousand people are currently behind bars.
"If arresting people had been a useful method to get rid of the HDP, the people would not have stood behind the HDP that strongly in the last four elections, they would not have laid claim to their party and will.
'Human rights being trampled upon'
"Trampling upon the law, justice and human rights every day, the alliance of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) - Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) should give up trying to hide its own failure by attacking the HDP.
"This rush of detentions and arrests targeting our local administrations, provincial and district organizations should be ended immediately and our detained friends have to be released as soon as possible."
Muş Co-Chairs arrested
Taken into custody in house raids in Turkey's eastern province of Muş on August 9, HDP Muş Provincial Co-Chairs Ferhat Çakı and Muhlise Karagüzel have been arrested by the court that they were referred to.
Party member Kutbettin Çelik, who was also arrested in the house raids in Muş, has been released on probation. (RT/SD)
