Mayors, Journalists, Trade Union activists among 231 detained in anti-terror raids across Turkey

ByTurkish Minute
November 26, 2024

Turkish authorities have detained 231 individuals including mayors, journalists, activists allegedly linked to the terrorist organizations as part of a series of coordinated raids across 30 provinces, the Stockholm Center for Freedom reported, citing Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya on Tuesday.

Authorities have accused the detainees of conducting political and media activities on behalf of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), the Democratic Union Party (PYD) or the People’s Defense Units (YPG); financing terrorism; spreading propaganda on social media and participating in illegal protests causing damage to public property. Officials also reported confiscating unlicensed firearms, hunting rifles, blank-firing guns and digital material.

The PKK has been designated a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies. It has conducted an armed insurgency since the 1980s, advocating for Kurdish rights and autonomy. The KCK is an umbrella group associated with the PKK, overseeing its political and military structures. The PYD is the PKK’s Syrian affiliate, while the YPG serves as its armed wing and has been a key player in the Syrian civil war. Turkish authorities have long targeted these groups in domestic and cross-border operations.

Among those detained were journalists, activists, and labor union leaders. The list of journalists includes Erdoğan Alayumat, Tuğçe Yılmaz, Bilge Aksu, Ahmet Sünbül, Roza Metina (president of the Mesopotamian Women Journalists Association), Bilal Seçkin, Mehmet Ücar and Suzan Demir. Others detained include translator-director Ardin Diren, cartoonist Doğan Güzel, poet and writer Hicri İzgören, translator and writer Ömer Barasi and publishing coordinator Baver Yoldaş.

The Mezopotamya Women Journalists Association confirmed the detention of its president, Roza Metina, in Diyarbakır. Authorities also detained Kayapınar district co-mayor Cengiz Dündar and Nimet Tanrıkulu, a founding member of the Human Rights Association.

In Adana, police detained Remzi Çalışkan, deputy chair of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK) and Kemal Göksoy, its regional representative, during pre-dawn raids.