Turkish police raided offices of Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP), Federation of Socialist Youth Associations (SGDF), Law Office of the Oppressed (EHB) and Etkin News Agency (ETHA) and detained dozens including journalists working for ETHA.
Turkish police carried our simultaneous raids to the homes of the activists and journalists in Istanbul on Thursday morning.
According to ETHA, at least 15 socialists were detained by Turkish police including ETHA’s editor Isminaz Temel and correspondent Havva Custan.
ETHA named the detained socialists as Nihat Goktas, Ozgen Sadet, Metal Tatar, Sercan Genc, Mazlum Demirtas, Mehmet Aslan, Ercan Kakca, Hunkar Hudai Yurtsever, Ilhan Aslan, Onur Binbir and Ali Duzgun.
Turkish police also detained lawyers Ozlem Gumustas and Sezin Ucar. ETHA reports that there is also an arrest warrant for lawyer Gulhan Kara. Gumustas, Ucar and Kara are working for Law Office for the Oppressed.
There are also reports of ill-treatment of Turkish police during the raids. Several of the detained were beaten and insulted by the police.
A group of Turkish police wrote “Grey Wolves came” on the wall of ETHA correspondent Havva Custan’s home. “Grey Wolves” refer to an ultra-nationalist Turkish organization which is described as Nationalist Movement Party’s paramilitary wing.
