Two woman members of Ishtar Counseling Center for Women’s Solidarity, affiliated to BDP's (Peace and Democracy Party) Akdeniz Municipality in the southern province of Mersin, will appear in court on Wednesday for the first time since their arrest on 25 September 2012. The hearing is being held at Adana 10th High Criminal Court.

Following a Mersin-centered KCK (Kurdish Communities Union) operation on 25 September, 25 people were remanded in custody for allegedly being members of an illegal organization and spreading propaganda for it. A number of institutions, houses as well as BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) offices were raided and searched in the operation in which executives and members of the BDP, DTK (Democratic Society Congress), MKM (Mesopotamia Cultutal Center), IHD (Human Rights Association) and women’s associations were taken into custody.

Ishtar Counseling Center's Coordinator Gülhan Yağ and Press Counsellor Roza Yaruk will appear in court today, while the hearing of other workers of the Center, Menice Ürün, Nazan Dündar and İshak İregür, who were arrested in a separate operation on 3 November 2012, is scheduled to April 24.

Speaking to Bianet before the hearing, Fahriye Cengiz, a clinical psychologist from Ishtar center, said four of their workers were charged with organizing an alternative kids parade, holding lectures on social gender, attending women studies conferences, and showing up at the local branch of BDP.

Cengiz stated that during the raid on 25 September police had also seized their documents including the recordings of therapy session without a court consent.

Cengiz evaluated the police raids targeting the center as unlawful and unethical, pointing out that these operations have greatly affected their activities as well.

Cengiz said that, “I think the operations aimed to create a psychology against consultants who indeed were all scared of accusations of being member of an illegal organization. The perception on our center has altered as the number of applications and volunteers both took a serious dive. Less women are applying for shelter now”.