Oluşturulma Tarihi: Nisan 14, 2009 10:00
ISTANBUL - Forty people were detained in a simultaneous operation held against the terror organization PKK in a couple of southeastern provinces of Turkey, broadcaster CNNturk reported.
Anti-terror police detained at least 40 people in raids conducted on several locations across Turkey, including the offices of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party, or DTP, and the headquarters of a local TV station in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir.
DTP deputy chairs, Kamuran Yuksek and Bayram Altun, were detained in Diyarbakir, the Anatolian Agency said. The party's deputy chairwoman, Selma Irmak, was detained in the southeastern province of Mardin, it added.Seracettin Irmak, a lawyer for jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, was also among the detainees, the agency said.
The operation, under planning since last year, aims to expose those with links to the terror organization PKK inside the DTP and Kurdish non-governmental organizations, a judicial source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
DTP Co-chair Emine Ayna described the operation as "very dangeorus" and politically motivated, evaluating Tuesday's detainments during a press conference in the capital Ankara.
The constitutional court is currently deliberating a case demanding the closure of the DTP over its alleged links to the terror organization PKK, which launches cross-border attacks against Turkey from bases in northern Iraq. The party has 21 legislators in Turkey’s 550-seat parliament.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist group by Turkey and much of the international community, including the EU and the United States.
