HDP Youth Assembly members sent to prison in Amed, students in Ankara protest arrests

In Amed, 10 people, including HDP party assembly member Halide Türkoğlu and a number of HDP Youth Assembly members, were remanded in custody. Members of the Free Student Initiative protested the arrests with a march in Ankara.

In line with the testimonies of witness Keziban Kuday, 10 of the 13 people who were taken into custody on Thursday for whom the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office ordered their detention, were arrested.

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) party assembly (PM) members Halide Türkoğlu, Çekdar Budak, as well as Sevim Akdağ and Zeliha Kocaman, were taken into custody during the raids on their homes in Amed, Mardin and Urfa. Executives of the Women, Culture, Art and Literature Association (KASED) Emine Aksoy and HDP Youth Assembly members Betül Ünsal, Metin Yılmaz, Beritan Yaşar, Hamza Ağırman, Esengül Kılıç, Nurullah Özğün, Rubar Armağan and Mustafa Kurt were brought before the judge on Friday.

Halide Türkoğlu, Çekdar Budak, Sevim Akdağ and Zeliha Kocaman, HDP Youth Council members Betül Ünsal, Metin Yılmaz, Beritan Yaşar, Hamza Ağırman, Esengül Kılıç and Mustafa Kurt, were sent to prison on the charge of "being a member of a terrorist organization".

Nurullah Özğün and Rubar Armağan were released under judicial control measure. Emine Aksoy was released after her statement at the prosecutor's office.

Protest in Ankara

Free Student Initiative members protested the arrest of HDP Youth Assembly members with a march in the Ankara borough of Mamak.

In the statement the students said that "pressure, threats, kidnapping, detention and arrests are a policy of intimidation. Young people will continue their struggle and will not bow to pressure!"

The statement added: "The will of young people and their determined stance will defeat these dirty policies, and those who want to prevent us from creating themselves in the field of politics will not get any results."