PodcastTurkish police detain Kurdish politicians in early morning raids
Turkish police have detained a number of Kurdish politicians in early morning raids as part of an ongoing investigation carried out in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır on May 22. Those detained include politicians from the Rosa Women's Association, Free Women's Movement (TJA), the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and the Democratic Regions Party (DBP).
Duvar English
Turkey's presidential system 'blocks solution to Kurdish issue'Turkish police have detained a number of Kurdish politicians in early morning raids as part of an ongoing investigation carried out in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır on May 22.
Those detained include politicians from the Rosa Women's Association, Free Women's Movement (TJA), the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and the Democratic Regions Party (DBP).
In addition to the raids on the politicians' homes, police raided Rosa Women's Associations building in the Kayapınar district without notifying the association officials.
Police reportedly broke the door of the building and seized scores of documents during the raid, of which the reason remains unknown.
The association slammed the incident on Twitter, while urging women's rights groups to show solidarity.
Bu sabah saat 5 te dernek başkanımız Adalet Kaya, dernek kurucu üyelerimiz Ayla Akat Ata, Fatma Gültekin ve Narin Gezgör evlerinde aramalar yapılarak göz altına alınmıştır. Dernek binamızda arama devam etmektedir. Her gün kadınların katledildiği, her alanda+
— Rosa Kadın Derneği (@rosakadinderne1) May 22, 2020
"We've been working non-stop since the day we founded our association in an environment that women are subjected to violence every day. We reject this illegal practice implemented on our association today," it said on May 22.
"We won't bow down to the male dominated system's politics of oppression and destruction against women and women's struggle. We'll continue our struggle stronger. We call on all women's institutions to show solidarity with Rosa. Our friends who were detained must be released immediately!" it added.
Bugün saat 13:00’de dernek binamız önünde DAKP öncülüğünde arkadaşlarımızın hukuksuzca gözaltına alınmasına ilişkin basın açıklaması yapılacaktır.Hak savunucusu herkesi sesimizi yükseltmeye çağırıyoruz!@ihdamedkadin @TJAMerkez @AmedKadin @KadinCinayeti @KBGuclu @GencKadinAmed pic.twitter.com/BIkxDqXTo8
— Rosa Kadın Derneği (@rosakadinderne1) May 22, 2020
Two founding members of the association, Narin Gezgör and Ayla Akat Ata, and one of its executives, Fatma Gültekin, were detained, in addition to its chair Adalet Kaya.
TJA activists Gülcihan Şimşek and Zelal Bilgin, former DBP co-chair Mehmet Arslan, HDP Central Executive Board (MYK) member Özlem Gündüz, HDP Yenişehir district branch co-chairs Remziye Sızıcı and Kasım Kaya, HDP member Mehmet Ali Altınkaynak, Kurdish politicians Celal Yoldaş and Nazile Tursun, Bağlar Municipal Council members Hüseyin Harman and Gönül Aslan, Diyarbakır Municipal Council member Selin Coşkun, Yenişehir Municipal Council member Nevriye Çur and Peace Mothers Council member Havva Kıran were also detained.