Turkish police raid DEM Party office, detain two district co-chairs in Istanbul

Turkish police have raided the pro-Kurdish DEM Party's Esenyurt district office in Istanbul, breaking down its door without prior notice. Co-chairs Rojda Yılmaz and Abdullah Arınan were detained as part of an investigation into alleged "PKK linkages."

Tuesday November 19 2024 03:43 pm

Police take down banners during the early morning raid to the DEM Party Esenyurt district office.

Duvar English

The Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party on Nov. 18 announced that police searched its Esenyurt district office in Istanbul and detained the two district co-chairs.

DEM Party stated in a post on the party's official X account that their Esenyurt district office was searched without prior notification, and the door was broken down.

Sabah erken saatlerde Esenyurt ilçe binamız herhangi bir bildirim yapılmadan kapısı kırılarak arama yapılmıştır. Bu saldırılarla partimizi kriminalize etmeye çalışan iktidar suç işlemiştir. Çözümsüzlük ve saldırılardan beslenen iktidara karşı demokratik mücadelemiz her alanda… pic.twitter.com/7Q87GL9EAi
— DEM Parti İstanbul (@dempartistanbul) November 18, 2024

“This attack, aimed at criminalizing our party, constitutes a crime by the government. Our democratic struggle against a government that thrives on aggression and deadlock will continue in all areas," it said.

Following the search, Esenyurt DEM Party Co-Chairs Rojda Yılmaz and Abdullah Arınan were taken into custody. Authorities said the detentions were part of an investigation led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office into efforts to expose activities of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) armed terrorist organization.

The DEM Party’s Istanbul branch also issued a statement regarding the detentions.

"This morning, police conducted a search without the presence of any of our officials or lawyers. Subsequently, our Esenyurt District Co-Chairs, Rojda Yılmaz and Abdullah Arınan, were summoned to Istanbul Police Headquarters on Vatan Avenue to provide statements. When they went to the station accompanied by our party's lawyers, they were not questioned but were instead detained. Additionally, police searched the homes of both co-chairs at around 3:30 p.m.

A 24-hour restriction was placed on lawyer access for the co-chairs.