More arrests and court hearings in Turkey

More arrests and court hearings in Turkey
By Catherine Hardy with Reuters
Share this articleComments
Share this articleClose Button
Copy/paste the article video embed link below:Copy to clipboardCopied

Nine journalists from Turkey's pro-opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet have been remanded in custody in Istanbul.

ADVERTISEMENT

Nine journalists from Turkey’s pro-opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet have been remanded in custody in Istanbul.

Nine politicians, including the leaders of Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish political party, the HDP, have also been jailed on remand.

The journalists and politicians will be held in prison until they stand trial.

So far, no date has been set.

Is Cumhuriyet anti-government?

Yes.

Observers say it is one of the few Turkish media outlets to remain critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

HDP arrests

One of the leaders of Turkey’s biggest pro-Kurdish political party has been taken to a maximum security prison in the city of Kocaeli in northwestern Turkey.

Selahattin Demirtas was one of 12 HDP lawmakers detained in overnight raids on Friday.

Demirtas, co-chair of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), described on Twitter how he was taken into custody.

“Police officials are at the door to my house in Diyarbakir with a detention warrant,” he posted.

Co-chair Figen Yuksekdag was detained at her home in Ankara.

The group are accused of refusing to testify on terrorism-related charges.

Court hearings

Demirtas, along with fellow co-chair Figen Yuksekdag and seven other lawmakers, have been formally placed under arrest pending trial.

The courts released three others on condition they report regularly to the authorities.

Kurdish links

The government accuses the HDP of being the political arm of outlawed Kurdish rebel group the PKK.

The HDP has always rejected the accusation.

Share this articleComments

You might also like

Turkey orders formal arrest of Cumhuriyet executives and journalists

ISIL claims Diyarbakir bombing days after 'al-Baghdadi urged attacks on Turkey'

Turkey rocked by protests after high-profile arrests