The AKP government continues its political genocide operations against Kurdish people and opposition. Many people were detained and arrested during the most recent operations in Hatay, Mersin, Batman and Dersim.

HATAY

Police forces carried out house raids in the İskenderun, Antakya and Dörtyol districts of Hatay this morning and detained Socialist Re-foundation Party Provincial Chair Hülya Kavuk and party members Mert Aslanyürek, Erdal Cirik ve Semra Pekbay, Hansel Tekin and Büşra Demirtaş in Antakya. HDP Youth Assembly members Ahmet Özen, Serhat Baran, Bekir Öcalan, Mazlum İrdava, Türkan Kaya, Tarık Balaban, Veli Kaykaç, Gökhan Ataç, and Mazlum Çoban were detained in İskenderun, and the detainees were taken to Hatay Police Headquarters.

MERSİN

Osman İşıksal was detained during the operations against HDP members in Mersin’s Tarsus district.

BATMAN

Police forces detained 15 people including Petrol-İş Union Batman Branch President Şeyhmus Kaygusuz during the simultaneous house raids they carried out this morning. The reason for the detentions was ‘social media content’ and the detainees were taken to Batman Police Headquarters.

DERSİM

Cenk Akgönül, who had been detained during a road block in Dersim’s Pertek district on December 24 and taken to the Gendarme Command, got arrested and sent to Elazığ E Type Closed Prison after being charged with ‘aiding a terrorist organisation.’