While Kurdish self-governing areas in Rojava are under attack, repression against Kurds, activists, and critical voices is also escalating in Turkey. For days, there have been mass detentions in numerous provinces in connection with protests against the war in North-East Syria or because of posts on social media.
According to the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD), 95 people were taken into custody on Saturday alone in Istanbul during a demonstration against the siege of Kobanê, including the DEM Party provincial co-chair Çınar Altan. In all cases, the authorities invoke the restrictive Turkish Assembly Law No. 2911 or accuse those affected of “terrorist propaganda.” DEM Party MP Celal Fırat was the victim of targeted police violence and had to be taken to hospital after being kicked and punched.
The wave of repression is directed in particular against members of the DEM Party (Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party) and DBP (Democratic Regions Party), as well as civil society organizations. In Ağrı, at least 20 people were detained today at a rally for Rojava, including the DEM Party provincial co-chair Serhat Yılmaz Köroğlu. In Adana, five people, including ÖHD lawyer Musa Bendaş, were taken into custody last night for participating in demonstrations for Rojava. In Amed (Diyarbakır), Dersim, and Batman, 37 people were detained the day before. Ten of those detained are now in custody.
In Van, the co-chair of the NGO MEBYA-DER, Yusuf Dündar, was detained for alleged resistance to state forces. Dündar reported severe torture in the police vehicle on the way to the hospital. According to Dündar, a doctor on duty refused to examine him and, despite visible injuries, issued a report stating: “No evidence of abuse.” Dündar’s lawyer has filed criminal charges against the police officers involved and the doctor.
In the Viranşehir district of Urfa, Sevgi Talay, mother of a 2.5-month-old infant, was placed under house arrest on Friday after her detention two days earlier. Yakup Kayrup, who, like Talay, was detained on the sidelines of a rally in the district, was imprisoned for “participating in an unauthorized demonstration.” In Iğdır, the co-chair of the DEM Party’s provincial association, Deniz Kaynar, was taken into custody on Thursday after protests against the war in Rojava. One person was placed under house arrest.
The current wave of arrests is closely linked to the Islamist offensive by the so-called Syrian transitional government, which is being supported militarily and politically by Turkey. The aim is to destroy the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) and its defense structures. In the weeks leading up to this, numerous arrests were made following protests during the Syrian attack on Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo, particularly in Kurdish provinces such as Şırnak, Mardin, Hakkari, and Amed.