According to Mezopotamya Agency (MA), Turkish police raided the districts of Dicle, Dumlupınar and Haciya Kurda (Kurdmen Hacı) on Tuesday, 6 April.

The searches started at 2 am and went on until 8 am. While the neighbourhoods were blockaded, construction equipment was taken in to actually dig homes.

It was reported that three homes were searched. Excavations with scoops were carried out in the house, garden and the barn next to the home belonging to 30-year-old Ibrahim Halil Ercan in Dicle. Ercan was not staying at home, as this was being renovated.

The same arbitrary practices took place in the neighbourhoods of Dumlupınar and Haciya Kurda.

It was reported that Ibrahim Halil Ercan and the residents of the house in the Dumlupınar District, where he was staying, were subjected to ill-treatment and insults by the special operations police.

Ercan was taken to the Dicle District and subjected to torture here: he was blindfolded, subjected to physical violence, and torture with a plastic bag put on his head.

Ercan was threatened by police wanting him to take responsibility for some ammunition they claimed they had found in a drawer during the search on in his house, which was undergoing renovation. After the searches, Ercan was detained and taken to Diyarbakır Provincial Security Directorate. His custody period was extended.

Ercan was able to meet with his lawyer who stated that his client was tortured for hours. According to the lawyer, the photographs taken during his client's detention show signs of torture on his face and head. While lawyers file a criminal complaint for torture, Ercan is expected to be taken to the courthouse tomorrow, 12 April.