Bianet's Women and LGBTI+ rights editor, Evrim Kepenek, was detained during a police raid at her residence in Beyoğlu, İstanbul on Tuesday.

Officers from the Beyoğlu Police Station also attempted to search Kepenek's home. However, she and her friends objected to the search, leading the officers to call the mukhtar of the Çukurcuma Neighborhood to the scene, Bianet reported.

After the mukhtar's arrival, the police began the search without waiting for Kepenek's lawyer to arrive. The operation was captured on camera by a police camera operator. All the digital equipment  belonging to Kepenek and her brother was seized.

After the search, which lasted about an hour, the police handcuffed Kepenek and took her into custody. She was taken to Taksim Şehit Haşim Usta Police Station after medical control.

Back in March, Bianet Kurdish editor, Aren Yıldırım, was also detained in a raid at his residence. He was released two days later. During his custody, the police questioned him regarding the news articles he had written for Bianet.

Earlier today,  journalists Sibel Yukler, Fırat Can Arslan and Delal Akyüz were detained following a raid on their homes as part of an investigation launched by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

Mesopotamia Agency (MA) reporter Delal Akyüz was detained in İzmir, while MA journalist Fırat Can Arslan and T24 editor Sibel Yükler were taken into custody in Ankara. 

Earlier this month, 15 journalists, who had been imprisoned in June 2022 as part of an investigation carried out by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, appeared in court for the first time after 13 months in custody. The journalists were released on condition of judicial control after the first hearing held in Diyarbakır (ku: Amed) on July 11-12. The journalists on trial are Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DGF) Co-chair Serdar Altan, Mesopotamia Agency (MA) editor Aziz Oruç, Xwebûn Editor-in-Chief Mehmet Ali Ertaş, journalists Zeynel Abidin Bulut, Ömer Çelik, Mazlum Doğan Güler, İbrahim Koyuncu, Neşe Toprak, Elif Üngür, Abdurrahman Öncü, Suat Doğuhan, Remziye Temel, Ramazan Geciken, Lezgin Akdeniz and Mehmet Şahin.