16 opposition activists jailed in Amed

As many as 30 politicians and activists were taken into custody during raids in Amed, Adana, Mersin, Antalya, Dersim, Istanbul and Batman on May 24 as part of an investigation by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. 16 of the detainees have been remanded in custody on Thursday on charges of membership in a terrorist organization. The other 14 have been released on reporting charges.

The charges are based on the public activities of the individuals concerned as well as on statements made anonymously by witnesses who are used in all political proceedings in Turkey. The accused are mainly politicians from the HDP, DBP and ESP, as well as trade unionists. Those remanded in custody are Abdulbari Mavlay, Beycan Taşkıran, Mehmet Atlıhan, Alaattin Zuğurli, Özlem Noyan, Selvi Ok, Ramazan Kızıltepe, Irfan Söner, Kemal Baran, Yusuf Sekmen, Ali Ihsan Karahan, Abdullah Arkan, Şahin Tanrıverdi, Fırat Akdeniz and Engin Ihlamur.