Around 30 individuals were detained on Tuesday in a series of dawn raids conducted simultaneously across several towns within the Kurdish-majority Hakkari (Colemêrg) province in Turkey. Among those taken into custody are women associated with the Peace Mothers group, a collective which has been advocating for a peaceful resolution to the Kurdish question since 1999.
The authorities have refused to give a specific reason for the arrests, and the detainees have not been allowed to see their lawyers, Mezopotamya Agency reported.
A similar crackdown targeting pro-Kurdish circles has unfolded in other cities across Turkey this week, leading to numerous detentions.
In the southern city of Adana, four minors detained in the early hours of Monday have been released. However, on Tuesday, a fresh wave of raids resulted in more arrests. Those detained in Adana are being held within the scope of an investigation by the Ceyhan Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, under accusations of “spreading terrorist propaganda.”
House raids and ensuing arrests have also been reported in the southeastern city of Mardin (Mêrdîn), the southern city of Mersin, and the western city of Izmir on Tuesday. In Mardin, 19 detainees were taken into custody as part of an inquiry over allegations involving the transfer of finances to incarcerated relatives.