The raid, on Tuesday, of Dicle News Agency (DÝHA) Adana office rises disturbing questions once again about freedom of the press and the rights of journalists to do their work without fearing to be intimidated or detained. It was DIHA Adana journalists in fact who first exposed the child sexual abuse incidents in Pozantý Prison.

DÝHA journalist Ali Buluþ who was released on 26 December 2011 from Ermenek prison was taken into custody again on Tuesday along with Özlem Aðuþ who has been detained for the third time in a month.

The total number of arrests in the raids carried out today at DÝHA, Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), Democratic Culture Association, Association for Research and Development of the Kurdish Language (KURDÝ-DER), Mesopotamian Cultural Centre (MKM) and a great number of houses in Adana has risen to 50, and include Fýrat Distribution employee Ferit Köylüoðlu, BDP and association executives.

Oppression against DÝHA has been continuing since its establishment on 4 April, 2002. A great number of DÝHA reporters were among the 36 journalists arrested on 20 December 2011 in an operation carried out simultaneously in Van, Diyarbakýr, Istanbul, Ankara, Urfa, Adana, Mersin and Ýzmir. Ali Buluþ who was taken into custody today was released from prison just three weeks ago. Özlem Aðuþ was taken into custody and released twice in the month of February. DÝHA Batman office was raided on February 4 and reporter Gülsen Aslan was jailed on the allegation of being involved in KCK (Union of Kurdistan Communities) activities. On February 13 DÝHA Diyarbakýr reporter Ýsmet Mikailoðullarý was taken into custody in an operation that counted more than 200 arrests.