The first day of interrogation of 7 Kurdish activists who were taken into custody in London in raids on the Kurdish Community Center and homes by the Anti-Terror Teams affiliated with the Metropolitan Police in England has ended.

The health conditions of Kurdish People's Assembly co-chair Türkan Budak, KHM employee Ercan Akbal, Kurdish politician and writer Ali Poyraz, Kurdish Foreign Relations Representative Agit K., Kurdish women activist Berfin K., Kurdish youth Mazlum S. and Doğan K., who were detained after their homes were broken with sledgehammers by police, are good.

British police detained the Kurdish activists on the basis of the Anti-Terror Law. Questions about the PKK were asked during the first day of questioning.

The lawyer of the Kurdish activists, Ali Has, said that no concrete evidence has been presented so far. He said that police put the Kurdish Community Center through the criminalization process with this operation, and added: "They divide the interrogation into several parts. General questions about the PKK; are you a member or a sympathizer? Clearly, they are trying to associate my clients with that organization. They have not presented anything concrete at the moment. This is pure criminalization."

They are trying to intimidate Kurdish society

Lawyer Has said that the Kurdish activists were asked questions like 'We think you are a terrorist. What do you think?'. He added: "The interrogations were not based on anything concrete. There are no complaints about my clients. These are predetermined names. They are all taken at the same time. Simultaneous raids are carried out. Normally, they would go at 7 in the morning. However, simultaneous raids are carried out at 03:00 at night. This is practically torture at that time of night."

Lawyer Has drew attention to the fact that the operation was prepared in advance, and added that, while the Kurdish centre was being raided, news of the raid was simultaneously served to all newspapers.

The lawyer said that the police were trying to turn a civilian institution into something criminal, and added: "What they are saying is, there is a picture of Abdullah Öcalan, there are pictures of martyrs... These alone are not elements of a crime. Moreover, the centre is private property."

Has drew attention to the fact that the police asked young activists Doğan K. and Mazlum S. about the political cases filed against them in Turkey, and said that, in fact, "police were posing as the Turkish prosecutor."

The lawyer added: "The police are trying to put the Kurdish Community Center in a difficult position, claiming that it is the headquarters of the PKK in England. And the reason for the arrest is Article 41. The National Security Act was passed in England in 2023. While that law was being passed, an addition was also made to the Terrorism Act. According to this article, the police are granted extensive powers and the right to question anyone without concrete evidence that they have committed any crime under the Terrorism Act. Currently, Kurdish activists have been detained based on this article."

Lawyer Has said: "The force used is disproportionate. They want to intimidate the Kurdish community here and create fear."