On May 19, Wednesday, 15 people were detained in Van province as alleged members of a terrorist organization. The operation was carried out within the framework of the investigation launched by Van Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against MEBYA-DER (Association for Solidarity with Those Who Lost Their Relatives in the Cradle of Civilizations).

MEBYA-DER co-chair Gülistan Önver, board members Emine Şaybak, Ceyda Dindar, Mahmut Dindar, Cihat Aksu, Cevdet Bilekçi, Isa Demirağaç, Süreyya Azba, Azize Öner, Nuhi Alici, Savaş Encü, Şevket Kaplan, Halil Karakoç, Kamuran Çiftçi and Nebi Kacak were detained during the raids.

The detainees were only able to speak to their lawyers after 24 hours. It is still unknown what exactly they are accused of, because the investigation file is classified and the lawyers are not allowed to see it.

While Emine Şaybak was released from custody after giving her statement, the other 14 people have been referred from the Anti-Terror (TEM) Department of Police to the court today. After having their detention period extended for four days, the detainees were taken back to the TEM branch.

MEBYA-DER co-chair Gülistan Önver suffers from high blood pressure and has had several back operations. According to her relatives, she is not allowed to stand or sit for long periods of time, otherwise there is a risk of paralysis.

MEBYA-DER is a solidarity association for people who have lost relatives in the Kurdish liberation struggle and has been the focus of state repression in Turkey for some time. The association has branches in several Kurdish cities. The Turkish state turns fallen guerrilla fighters into a means of psychological warfare by vandalizing graves and maltreating or mutilating the bodies of the martyrs. MEBYA-DER is one of the institutions that directly opposes this policy.