Several houses were raided in Istanbul on Tuesday morning. During the raids, many members of the Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK), Democratic Regions Party (DBP), Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), Labor Party (EMEP), Socialist Refoundation Party (SYKP), Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP) and Green Left Party were taken into custody.

In a statement, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, announced that the operation was carried out against HDK, that detention orders were issued for 60 people in 10 provinces as part of the investigation, and that 52 people have been detained so far.

The detainees are as follows: HDK members Aynur Cengiz, Melih Kayhan Pala, Esengül Demir; Green Left Party Naci Dönmez, EMEP members Sema Barbaros, Mustafa Mayda, Mehmet Turp; ESP member Semiha Şahin; DBP member Atilla Özdoğan, Erkin Barın Göylüler, Hacı Aslan; DEM Party Iğdır Provincial Co-chair Alya Akkuş, SYKP members Halit Elçi, Mehmet Saltoğlu, Ahmet Saymadi, journalists Yıldız Tar, Ercüment Akdeniz, Elif Akgül and Painter Taner Güven, Pınar Aydınlar.

HDK: We will not remain silent, we will not give up

The HDK published a statement titled "Social opposition cannot be silenced, cannot be derailed from its path". The statement said: "In the early hours of the morning, many of our friends, including our former co-spokesperson Esengül Demir and many of our executives and members of other institutions, intellectuals and artists, were taken into custody. The social opposition, which is fighting a democratic and legitimate struggle for the common future of our oppressed and working people, is being liquidated by the judiciary under the command of the government, just as seen in the Kent Consensus and the Van trustee coup. We call out once again to these conspirators: social opposition has not remained silent against all kinds of coups until now; it has not given up on the struggle for equality, justice and freedom. We will not remain silent, we will not give up."

EMEP condemned the detentions

EMEP chair Seyit Aslan condemned the arrests saying: "In a new operation, many people including our Istanbul Provincial chair, Güngören district chairman, executives and members were taken into custody. We condemn these unlawful and arbitrary detentions. The one-man government that wants to turn Turkey into an open prison will not be able to achieve its goals. We will not surrender to this mentality that attacks union rights, arrests union chairmen, removes elected mayors from office and appoints trustees, and we will continue to fight."