Police have detained 36 people in operations carried out against the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK), which prosecutors say is a political umbrella organization that includes the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorist organization, Today's Zaman reported.
The detained include a photographer for the French news agency Agence France Presse (AFP) and a reporter from Turkish mainstream daily Vatan, news reports said. Several journalists from some pro-Kurdish media outlets, including the Dicle News Agency (DİHA), are also among the detainees. Pro-Kurdish newspapers and the houses of some journalists were raided and searched by the police.
Police carried out operations against the KCK in various cities around the country early on Tuesday. All of these operations were deployed at the request of the İstanbul Prosecutors' Office.
A total of 25 suspects were arrested in İstanbul. Arrestees went through medical checkups before being sent to the police department for questioning. One of the suspects who jumped out the window of a house to escape detention was slightly injured.
Additionally, following the requests of İstanbul Prosecutors' Office, the Diyarbakır Police Department's counterterrorism units deployed simultaneous operations to several addresses in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır. Diyarbakır police arrested total of six suspects in these simultaneous operations.
Furthermore, two female suspects were arrested in the Aegean city of İzmir. The suspects were sent to İstanbul to be interrogated by the İstanbul prosecutors.
Another police operation took place in Kurtalan district of Siirt province on Saturday, where 20 people were arrested, including Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) officials from the Kurtalan municipality. Later, 14 of these suspects were sent to prison on Tuesday. BDP's Kurtalan Mayor, Necat Yılmaz was among the released suspects.
The police have recently stepped up operations against the KCK. The KCK investigation started in December 2009 and a large number of Kurdish politicians, including several officials from the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), have been detained in the case.
The suspects are accused of various crimes including membership in a terrorist organization, aiding and abetting a terrorist organization and attempting to destroy the country's unity and integrity. The detainees include mayors and municipal officials from the BDP, which has said the investigation is the government's method of suppressing its politicians, denying any links between the suspects and any terrorist organizations.
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