Nine more People’s Democratic Party (HDP) politicians were detained in Kars (Qers) in Turkey after being arrested. The total number of arrests since operations began on 1 October has risen to twelve. It is expected that five people, including Mayor Şevin Alaca, will be referred to the courthouse today.
Twenty one people were detained in operations held in Kars (Qers) on 1 October. HDP members of the provincial council and district municipality council and Kars Co-Mayor Şevin Alaca were amongst those detained. Three people amongst the detained were arrested and three others were released.
Ten people were referred to the courthouse on 9 October. Halil Kan was released on bail whilst Suat Bayhan, Kaya Naki, Fahrettin Kaya, Reis Baykiz, Hamit Daşdelen, Hamdi Erkmen, Medya Tağay, Bülent Ağbaba and Ömer Albayrak were arrested on the charge of being “a member of an organization”.
Background information
Ankara’s Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office decided to detain 82 people in seven provinces in Turkey within the scope of an investigation that was launched into the 6-8 October 2014 ‘Kobanî protests’. HDP Kars Municipality Co-Mayors Ayhan Bilgen and Sırrı Süreyya Önder were taken into custody as part of this operation.
The twenty HDP members were sent to the Penal Court of Peace by the prosecutor’s office for arrest. Seventeen of the HDP politicians were arrested.
Another operation was held on 1 October against HDP politicians and 21 people were detained including Mayor Şevin Alaca. Minutes after the court’s ruling, the Interior Ministry appointed a trustee to Kars Municipality, replacing Kars Co-Mayor Ayhan Bilgen with Governor Türker Öksüz.