17 people who had been detained during raids on the municipality and several houses in Van's Muradiye district on January 13, were referred to court yesterday noon.

The detainees gave their statements at the prosecutor's office till midnight, after which 10 of them were released on conditions of judicial control.

The other seven detainees, who include Muradiye Co-mayor Mehmet Ali Tunç, DBP district co-chair Mehmet Kaplan and municipal employees Yemlihan Akkuş and Ercan Dilmaç, were formally arrested for alleged “membership to a terrorist organization” and “aiding and abetting a terrorist organization”.