Six members of solidarity association jailed on terror charges in Van

Six members of the MEBYA-DER Solidarity Association have been arrested in Van province, including the co-chair of the Van branch, Gülistan Önver, and Seracettin Bayhar, a diabetic who had the toes on one foot amputated only in April. They, as well as board members Cihat Aksu, Ceyda Dindar, Azize Öner and Şevket Kaplan, are accused of “membership in a terrorist organization.” What they are exactly accused of is still unknown because the investigation file is classified.

A total of 17 people had been taken into custody on May 19, after when the detention period of the detainees was extended twice. While 11 of them were released on condition of judicial supervision, the six activists remanded in custody have been transferred to the T-type prison in Van.

The chairwoman of the association, Gülistan Önver, suffers from high blood pressure and has undergone several back operations. As her relatives informed, she is not allowed to stand or sit for a long time, otherwise there is a risk of paralysis. Seracettin Bayhar’s follow-up treatment is also not yet complete. He faces the loss of a foot if he is denied medical treatment while in custody.

MEBYA-DER Association

MEBYA-DER is a solidarity association for people who have lost loved ones in the Kurdish liberation struggle, and has been the focus of state repression in Turkey for some time. “Aid and Solidarity Association for People Who Lost Their Relatives in the Cradle of Civilizations” is the full name of the association, which has branches in several Kurdish cities. The Turkish state turns fallen guerrilla fighters into a means of psychological warfare by vandalizing graves and maltreating or mutilating the bodies of the martyrs. MEBYA-DER is one of the institutions that directly opposes this policy.