At least 110 people were arrested in Turkey on Tuesday as part of an “anti-terrorist” operation against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), according to a police source quoted by AFP.
The operation, which takes place three weeks before decisive elections in Turkey, took place in 21 provinces of the country, including Diyarbakir, which has a Kurdish majority.
Questioned by AFP, the Diyarbakir Lawyers’ Association said “the total number of arrests could reach 150”, including at least “20 lawyers, five journalists, three theater actors and a politician”.
According to this association, lawyers are not allowed to have contact with their clients for 24 hours.
“Many people’s homes were searched, including journalists, lawyers and NGO leaders, in the early hours of the morning”he said, for his part, the non-governmental organization (NGO) for the defense of freedoms MLSA.
Turkey’s presidential and parliamentary elections will take place on May 14 and will determine whether or not President Recep Tayip Erdogan and his AKP party remain in power for two decades.
The opposition is forming a united six-party front with one presidential candidate, Kemal Kiliçdaroglu, backed by the left-wing, pro-Kurdish HDP party.
Source: DN
