Crackdown on Kurdish-linked groups leads to detention of Green Left MP candidate

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Ayten Dönmez, an MP candidate for the Green Left Party (YSP) in Kocaeli, northwestern Turkey, was taken into custody late yesterday.

According to reports from the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) agency, the police raided her residence in the Üsküdar district of İstanbul, where they confiscated her mobile phone. Dönmez is currently undergoing legal procedures at the İstanbul police headquarters.

The operation was part of a wider investigation into the activities of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and other groups in the predominantly Kurdish-populated southeastern province of Diyarbakır.

Yesterday morning, the police carried out raids in 21 cities across the country, detaining over 120 people, including journalists, politicians, lawyers, and artists. The HDP's Central Executive Committee members, as well as local executives, were among the detained, according to Tayip Temel, an HDP deputy.

The suspects are reportedly facing terrorism-related charges.

The crackdown came weeks ahead of the crucial May 14 elections, in which voters will cast their ballots for both the presidency and the parliament.

In response to the mass arrests and house raids, 33 bar associations issued a joint statement calling for the lifting of the restrictions on the detained individuals' right to legal counsel. They condemned the practices of police brutality and intimidation, warning that they violate the rule of law and democratic principles.

The AKP government has targeted the HDP for years, accusing it of having links to the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), for which the party faces a closure case. In the face of a potential closure before the elections, the HDP has nominated its candidates from the Green Left.

Dönmez is on the 13th place on the party's candidate list. The HDP won one seat in Kocaeli in the 2018 election. (AÖ/VK)