In Istanbul, a rally against the Turkish judiciary's political extermination campaign against Kurdish civil society was attacked by police. Several people, including the chairs of the HDP provincial association, were arrested.
In Istanbul, a rally of the Democratic Party of the Peoples (HDP) against the latest wave of repression against Kurdish civil society has been attacked by the police. At least nineteen people have been taken into custody by force. Among them are the co-chairs of the HDP-Istanbul provincial branch, Elif Bulut and Erdal Avcı. Security forces also attempted to obstruct the work of press members.
HDP member of parliament Musa Piroğlu, who supported the rally with his parliamentary group colleague Züleyha Gülüm, engaged in a heated exchange of words with the head of police, after which officials ordered the attack on the demonstrators.
The protest was directed against the Turkish judiciary's political campaign of annihilation against the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), an association that functions as an umbrella organization of political parties, civil society organizations, religious communities, and women's and youth organizations. As part of a preliminary investigation, 72 people were arrested on Friday in Amed (Diyarbakir), Istanbul, Izmir and Adiyaman, including lawyers, doctors and activists. A total of 101 persons are on the wanted list of the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Amed. Of the 24 arrested lawyers, 21 were released on Friday evening. The others are still in police custody, including Bünyamin Şeker, the co-chair of the Libertarian Lawyers' Association (ÖHD).
