Journalists Among 33 Detained in MLKP Scoop

"Atilim" newspaper Editor-In-Chief Ibrahim Cicek and "Ozgur General Broadcast Coordinator Fusun Erdogan are among 33 suspects detained by the police in an operation said to have been carried out against suspected members of the outlawed Marxist Leninist Communist Party (MLKP).

The operation was launched on September 8 in various cities including Istanbul, Manisa and Antalya. Suspects so far placed under custody are being held at the Istanbul Police Directorate Counter-Terrorism branch office.

"Atilim" newspaper workers held a press conference on Sunday at Istanbul's Galatasaray Square where they called for all of the detained to be released.

The newspaper's editor Ahmet Yaman, said the detentions were reflection of the new Anti-Terror Law being put into practice and that the police had not needed to inform anyone of the detentions for 24 hours under the new law while those held were not being granted access to counsel.

Approximately 100 people including members of the Human Rights Association, Platform of Solidarity with Journalists Under Arrest and the cinema workers union Sine-Sen were present at the Atilim press conference.

Suspects brought to Istanbul

Speaking at the press conference, human rights advocate attorney Eren Keskin expressed particular concern over one of her clients she identified as Arzu Torun.

Keskin claimed that Torun and someone accompanying her had been kidnapped by the police from the Mediterranean city of Adana airport and that witnesses said she had told those around her before being taken away that "they want to eliminate me".

Ibrahim Cicek was detained in western ciry of Manisa while the police stopped a car he had hitchhiked in and Fusun Erdogan was detained while walking on the street in western town of Nazilli. (EO/II/YE)