ISTANBUL, — Turkish policemen raided the office of the lawyers of Kurdish national leader in Istanbul today taking around 100 people in to custody.
According to local correspondents hundreds of policemen raided the office of Asrın Hukuk Burosu in Istanbul earlier this morning. The road around the office has been closed until 2pm.
It is also understood that searches are going on in several other buildings in different cities. Of 100 people taken into custody, at least 48 are said to be lawyers.
Kurdish daily Ozgur Gundem was also targeted by police this morning. BDP former executive lawyer Hussein Çalışçı has been taken into custody. In Bursa, following a search at her house, Ocalan lawyer Ayşe Batumlu is said to have been taken into custody.
Police operations are carried in the context of the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK). The raids have been carried out simultaneously in 16 provinces, including Istanbul, Şanlıurfa, Izmir, Bursa, Muş, Van, Batman, Kars, Denizli and Amed (Diyarbakir).
Among the people taken into custody are: BDP Amed’s co-chair Omer Omer, Baglar council deputy mayor Derya Tamriş, Councillors Kadri Gokdemir, lawyers Baran Pamuk, Fuat Coşacak, Nuri Çelik, Mehmet Nuri Deniz, Baglar BDP chair Ali Yuce, and Fatma Kızılkaya, Şafi Hayme