Vayiç, Aksu Who Were Arrested in Operation on ESP Released

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Socialist Woman's Assembly Chair and Spokesperson Nurcan Vayiç and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Hopa District Chair Cemil Aksu were released on Friday (December 8, 2017).

An İstanbul-based operation was carried out on Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP) on October 19 in Hopa district of Artvin in Black Sea region. As part of the operation, police raided the house of Cemil Aksu and his wife Nurcan Vayiç Aksu.

In the operation, former ESP Hopa Chair Nurcan Vayiç was taken into custody and police also detained Cemil Aksu arguing that he had to testify as part of another ongoing case.

Nurcan Vayiç was arrested on October 24 on charges of "insulting Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu" and "propagandizing for a terror organization" and was sent to Artvin Closed Prison.

Cemil Aksu was released after deposition and went to Hopa Courthouse again to give deposition upon objection by the prosecutor's office where he was arrested on charge of "promoting crime and criminal" and sent to Artvin Closed Prison on October 26.

They had both been arrested due to their social media postings, and been in detention pending trial since then.
Efraim Vayiç, who was arrested due to posts on social media as well is still behind bars.

What happened?

İstanbul-based house raids were conducted against ESP members on October 19. 15 people among whom were journalists and lawyers were detained.

A group attempted to issue a statement for the press to protest the detentions in Hopa. The police intervened in the group with pepper gas, detained 12.

Among the detainees, ESP member Efraim Vayiç was arrested on October 23.

Vayiç Aksu was arrested on October 24 on charges of "insulting Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu" and "propagandizing for a terror organization" and was sent to Artvin Closed Prison. (EA/TP/DG)