A press conference was held in Van following the arrests this morning of HDP Provincial Co-Chair Umit Dede, DBP Provincial Co-Chair Ökkeş Kawa, Provincial Director Handan Karakoyun, HDP Gürpınar District Co-chair Sinem Malal, Peace Mothers Cahide Ölmez and Hemê Akdoğan,.

HDP Van Provincial co-chair Yadişen Karabulak, DBP Van Provincial co-chair Aynur Tarhan, DTK representatives, Peace Mothers, TJA activists, TUHAY-DER executives joined the press conference.

DBP Van Provincial co-chair Aynur Tarhan, said: “This morning, the houses of 7 of our friends were raided, including the house of our co-chairs and Peace Mothers activists. The friends were detained after police smashed the door of their houses.”

Tarhan added: “The government’s policies will never make us step back. We know this very well; before the local elections they are trying to criminalize our party with these repressive operations. With this terror policy, they want to prevent the Kurdish people from stepping out of their houses. These ‘terror operations’ have never brought any result and will be proved empty once again. Which law allows the detention of 70-year-old Peace Mothers? Our mothers are the guarantee of peace. What you do is against the law. We call once more to the people of Van: We will definitely win.”

Tarhan said: “Our detained friends are openly making politics in Van. Their houses are known, their statements public. Clearly there is a will to criminalise us and our parties before the upcoming local elections. This is not the first time we live something like this. Such operations have not succeeded in intimidating us before, they won’t now."