Over 400 people detained since Erdogan announced judicial reform
The Turkish president Erdogan announced judicial reform a good two weeks ago. Since then, at least 415 opposition members have been arrested in their apartments and on the streets.
17 days have passed since Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan announced reforms in the judiciary and the economy after the resignation of his son-in-law Berat Albayrak as Finance Minister. During this period, at least 415 people from the opposition and civil society have been detained in 18 provinces, and 11 people have been imprisoned. The Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and the civil society association Democratic Society Congress (DTK) have been particularly affected by the operations. Many of those arrested are still in police custody, and new arrests are added daily.
In the Kurdish provinces of Amed (Diyarbakir), Batman, Bingöl) Dersim and Siirt, 155 people have been arrested since November 11, seven of whom have been remanded in custody. In a preliminary investigation by the Diyarbakir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office against the DTK, 101 persons were put out for search on November 20, including numerous lawyers and journalists. Five of the 75 detained persons were imprisoned.
In Van, Erzurum and Bitlis 25 people were detained and two were imprisoned. In Mardin and Şırnak, 25 members of the HDP and BDP were detained and one person was imprisoned.
In Istanbul, Kocaeli and Bursa provinces in western Turkey, 171 people were taken into custody, including lawyers, politicians and 109 members of the metalworkers' union, who were demanding their rights.
In the Mediterranean provinces of Adana, Mersin and Antalya, there have been 15 detentions and one arrest so far. Six people are still in police custody in Mersin. In Ankara and Izmir, 24 people were detained on Friday, including 73-year-old Mahmut Altan.
Journalists are also affected by the repression. In recent days, Mezopotamya Agency (MA) correspondent Dindar Karataş was detained. His colleague Hakan Yalçın who was detained in Ankara is still in police custody. JinNews editor Roza Metina was also detained and released. Journalist Kesire Önel is still being held by the police while journalist Davut Uçar was released after police interrogation.
