Twenty five people who were taken into custody in the southern province of Mersin on 25 September were remanded in custody for alleged “membership and leadership of the KCK (Kurdish Communities Union) organization”.

The Mersin based “KCK” operation four days ago was carried out in five further cities, Diyarbakýr, Adana, Batman, Þýrnak and Dersim. A number of institutions, houses as well as BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) offices were raided and searched in the operation in which executives and members of the BDP, DTK (Democratic Society Congress), MKM (Mesopotamia Cultutal Center), IHD (Human Rights Association) and women’s associations were taken into custody.

Dicle News Agency reporter Ferhat Arslan as well as some members of the BDP and DTK were released this morning after bearing testimony to Adana 8th and 9th High Criminal Courts, while 25 others were sent to prison for alleged ties with the KCK organization. Among those arrested are IHD Mersin Branch Chair Ali Tanrýverdi, BDP Provincial Chair Adil Karabulut, BDP Mersin co-chairs, deputy chair, BDP Akdeniz Municipality’s ÝÞTAR (Counseling Center for Women’s Solidarity) Coordinator Gülhan Yað and Press Counsellor Roza Yaruk, KÝBELA Women’s Association President Hediye Bakrak.

Arrested women were sent to the Karataþ Prison and men to Kürkçüler F Type Prison in Adana.