Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Mithat Sancar evaluated the current developments at his party's parliamentary group meeting on Tuesday. Sancar also addressed the detention of eleven journalists in a large-scale operation in Ankara, Istanbul, Van, Amed (tr. Diyarbakır), Urfa, Mersin and Mardin. Those detained are the editor-in-chief of the Mezopotamya News Agency (MA), Diren Yurtsever, MA correspondents Deniz Nazlım, Selman Güzelyüz, Zemo Ağgöz, Berivan Altan, Hakan Yalçın, Emrullah Acar and Ceylan Şahinli, and JinNews correspondents Habibe Eren and Öznur Değer.

“This morning, we have seen a new wave of detentions. The target is journalists. Houses of Mesopotamia Agency and JINNEWS women's agency employees were raided and free press workers, including editors and reporters, were detained in Ankara, Istanbul, Van, Diyarbakir, Urfa and Mardin. During the raids, policemen pointed guns at journalists, handcuffed them behind their backs on the ground. The operation came as no surprise immediately after the introduction of the censorship law. It is part of a plan to silence the opposition press and society. It is an attack on the public's right to information,” he said.

“We have already stated before that the government would continue these operations to silence society and intimidate the opposition as the elections are approaching. But we have also stated that they would not succeed in eliminating the struggle for truth. This government is pro-coup d'etat, it stages coups on politics, the press, workers and those seeking their fundamental rights. Can there be a more comprehensive putschist mentality than this? However, no putschist mentality and administration has ever been successful. Coups have only forced people to pay huge prices and caused destruction in the country. The current government will face a similar fate. It is our duty to prevent the government from causing damage to this country. We have been in a quest to save the future from darkness and enlighten it by expanding the common struggle against this putschist government. We are taking this path together. The number of those who walk together will increase, and as the number increases, success will certainly come. Be assured of that,” Sancar concluded.