KURDISTAN, — This figures are shocking and yet as far as the international bodies goes no one has so far said a single word. A total of 2506 people were taken into police custody in Turkey between 24 March and 11 May 2011.
Figures which compared to those coming out of Syria, for example, are similar or worse. Two people have lost their life as results of operations that resulted in the arrest of more than 400 people.
According to figures compiled by ANF and Dicle News Agency (DİHA), an estimated 2506 people were taken into police custody for political reasons in the course of police operations that started after the Newroz festivals and peaked with the veto decision of the Supreme Election Board (YSK) on 18 April.
Hundreds of people were arrested. Only within the past five days, 155 people were taken into custody and 53 people were arrested.
2000 people in police custody between 24 March and 29 April
According to figures released by the Human Rights Association (İHD), 831 people, 189 of whom were children, were taken into police custody after the veto decision of the YSK between 19 and 29 April.
The YSK had decided to bar twelve independent candidates from the general elections, a decision that was partly reversed later on. During the same period of time, two people were killed by the police and 308 people were injured during demonstrations.
About 500 people in custody after May Day.
Here some figures in detail: at least 177 people were taken into police custody in the scope of operations carried out between 29 April and 5 May.
On Friday 6 May, 163 people were taken into police custody in Kurdish provinces and Hatay/Dörtyol, Bodrum and Adana, 19 of whom were arrested. On 7 May, another 24 arrests and an additional eleven people were registered. This rate increased further between 7 and 11 May. Throughout five days, 155 people were taken into custody and 53 were arrested. On 9 May, seven university students were arrested, among them one DİHA reporter. On 10 May, 34 people were taken into police custody, three of them are alleged members of the ‘Group Comment’ organization.
Police operations were conducted in Hakkari, Mardin, Şırnak, Diyarbakır, Siirt, Van, Urfa, Söke, Erzurum and Malatya between 7 and 11 May.
The İHD 2009 annual report revealed that 7718 people were taken into police custody throughout the whole year, 1923 of whom were detained.
The 2010 report puts forward that only in Kurdish region the number of people taken into custody amounted to 3,706 people.
In 2011, only during the 50 days between Newroz and 1 May more than 2500 people were taken into police custody.