Police raid Migration Monitoring Association office for 'financing terrorism with UN funds'

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Police have raided the office of the Migration Monitoring Association (GÖÇİZDER) in Şirinevler, İstanbul, in an investigation conducted by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

Homes in four other provinces, including the homes of the association's executives, were raided simultaneously, the Mezopotamya Agency (MA) reported.

Twenty-two people have been detained so far, with warrants against six others. Among the detained are the executives of the association: Şeref Kaya, Halit Karahan, Avukat Pınar Konak, Makbule Altıntaş, Veysi Yıldız, Bilal Yıldız, İlyas Erdem, Zelal Coşkun and Kerem Tosun.

The investigation into the association concerns the use of the funds the association receives from the European Union and the United Nations for "terrorism" purposes, the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

The raids coincided with raids on the members of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and the Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK) in at least 10 provinces today.

The prosecutor's office issued a confidentiality order on the file and restricted the detainees from meeting their lawyers for 24 hours. (RT/VK)