Detained politicians have food poisoning

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) has announced that the politicians who were detained as part of an investigation into the Kobani incidents from six years ago had food poisoning yesterday evening (September 27) and it cannot get information about their health conditions.

In a message shared on the social media account of the HDP, it was said, "Held in the Ankara Security Directorate, Ayhan Bilgen has told his attorneys that they had food poisoning after having dinner and they were not taken to a hospital. The attorneys are not allowed to meet Bilgen again and we cannot receive information about the health conditions of our executives."

In response to this, a group of HDP members and executives, including MPs Hişyar Özsoy, Nuran İmir, Filiz Kerestecioğlu, Hüseyin Kaçmaz and Erdal Aydemir, went in front of the Ankara Security Directorate.

* Photo: MA

As reported by Mezopotamya Agency, HDP Vice Chair Responsible for Law and Human Rights lawyer Ümit Dede met the detained politicians.

Bilgen was put on a drip

Dede has indicated that he met Ayla Akat, Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Ayhan Bilgen in detention. He has also stated that Ayhan Bilgen was taken to a hospital and put on a drip. As an infection was diagnosed in his blood test, Bilgen has been given medication, lawyer Dede has indicated further.

"When I met Mr. Bilgen, he seemed to be in a good condition. He was suffering from a slight fatigue. He was given a prescription. We will take his medication and bring them to him in the morning," he has noted.

2 people still in hospital

As indicated by Dede, while Ayla Akat Ata also felt sick, her condition did not deteriorate to the extent that she would need to be hospitalized.

However, former HDP Central Executive Committee Members Can Memiş and İsmail Şengün are reportedly still in hospital. They will be taken back to the security directorate after the drip-feeding ends.

Ümit Dede has noted that politicians are in hospital due to food poisoning and briefly added the following: "It is presumed to be food poisoning. It is highly likely food poisoning. The fellow attorneys who met their clients during the day said that everyone was complaining about the food and that they were given stale and bad food. Mr. Bilgen saw the other two freinds in hospital. He has said that they are also in good condition."

What happened?

As part of an investigation conducted by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into the Kobani incidents on October 6-8, 2014, detention warrants were issued against 24 former Central Executive Committee members of the HDP in 7 provinces of Turkey on September 26.

Following these orders for detention, Ayhan Bilgen, Alp Altınörs, Nazmi Gür, Altan Tan, Ayla Akat Aka, Emine Ayna, Sırrı Süreyya Önder, Bircan Yorulmaz, Gülfer Akkaya, Berfin Özgü Köse, Dilek Yağlı, Can Memiş, Günay Kubilay, Bülent Barmaksız, Zeki Çelik, Pervin Oduncu, İsmail Şengün, Ali Ürküt, Cihan Erdal, Emine Beyza Üstün were taken into custody.

On the day of the operation, the detainees were taken from other provinces to the Ankara Security Directorate in the capital city. While they were restricted from meeting their attorneys for 24 hours, the HDP politicians started to meet their attorneys as of September 27.

While the names of Arife Köse, Yurdusev Özsekmenler, Bayram Yılmaz, Zeynep Karaman were also in the 24-person detention list, they could not be detained as they could not be found in their residences. (TP/SD)