Rights Association Executive Pişkin Detained in Social Media Operation

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Two more people have been arrested as detentions against people due to their social media posts about Afrin operation.

One of the arrestees was Human Rights Association (İHD) Central Executive Board member Hayrettin Pişkin. Pişkin was detained along with Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) provincial co-chairs Nusret Kutluay and Seza Beytaş yesterday (January 24). Kutluay and Beytaş were released with an international travel ban.

Pişkin was arrested on charge of “propagandizing for a terrorist organization”.

Balıkesir HDP Provincial Co-Chair Bahise Pirim, HDP Ayvalık Executive Şükrü Kaygısız, five people in Tekirdağ and three people in Zonguldak were taken into custody yesterday.

He was arrested due to his Tweets he posted four years ago

Pediatrician Dr. Ö.B. working at Emet State Hospital in Kütahya was detained on Tuesday on the ground that he has been “propagandizing for the terrorist organization PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) on social media” since 2014, and “insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in his posts on social media”.

Ö.B. was arrested and sent to Kütahya Type E Prison.

68-year-old social media user is free

Hayati B. (68) who was detained and sent to court in Samsun for “criticizing the Operation Olive Branch and insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on social media”, was released on probation.

Police had searched home of Hayati B.

Community center president was detained

Samsun Community Center President Şeyma Özbek was detained from her home during a police raid this morning. Özbek’s computer was seized due to her social media posts criticizing the military operation launched into Afrin.

Homes of Socialist Refoundation Party (SYKP) Samsun provincial co-chairs İlhan Cüre and Meral Aslan were raided by the same justification. Cüre and Aslan were detained.

According to a report by state-run Anadolu Agency yesterday, 150 people were detained during the operations carried out in 31 cities. 11 of them were arrested; seven three of whom on probation were released. The rest of the detainees are still in the police stations. (AS/TK)