Four executives of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Representation Office in Kurdistan Region have been taken into custody at a checkpoint at the entrance of Hewler city in South Kurdistan.

The detainees, who were on their way back from Ranya, are reported to be Mizgîn Ari, Müzzeyen Güneş, Abid İke and Abdurrahman Sevgat. Mizgin Ari stated that no reason was put forward for their detention. The HDP members were taken to Hewler Asayish Centre and then released.

It grabs attention that security forces of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) have recently increased their pressure on HDP members.

On August 21, HDP member Erdem Murat Savda was taken into custody while he was about to cross the Hacı Umran gate between Southern (Bashur) and Eastern (Rojhilat) Kurdistan, through official ways with his passport. Savda had gone to Southern Kurdistan 5 years ago because of the lawsuits filed against him in Turkey for political reasons.

HDP member Mehmet Vefa Kocaklı had been summoned to Hewler Asayish (Public Security) Directorate and taken into custody there on August 1. After 20 days in custody, Kocaklı was deported to Rojava. He was also banned to enter Hewler and Duhok.