A probe has been launched against six people on the grounds of carrying posters of the Kurdish Leader Abdullah Öcalan at Newroz celebrations in Birecik district of Urfa at this year's Newroz celebration on 18 March.

Six members of the Newroz Organising Committee, DBP district branch co-chair Hasan Yıldız, HDP district branch co-chair Yusuf Yeşiltepe, Hüseyin Gökdoğan, Mehmet Işık, Yüksel Şahin and Adile Arıcı were called to the police headquarters in Birecik to bear their testimonies within the scope of the probe today.

Commenting on the legal action, DBP Birecik district branch co-chair Hasan Yıldız said the probe was in contradiction with the spirit of the democratic resolution process. Recalling that the Kurdish people demanded freedom for their leader with over 10 million signatures they have collected and recently submitted to officials, Yıldız noted that this year's Newroz celebrations all over the country were also organised under the main slogan “Freedom for Öcalan”.

Yıldız remarked that it was a democratic right of the people to carry the posters they like, adding that they they also put emphasis on this point in their testimony to police today.