Turkey arrests over 230 in crackdown on Kurdish activists

DIYARBAKIR-AMED, Turkey’s Kurdish region,— Turkish authorities have detained more than 230 people, including 12 journalists, poets, and writers, in a significant crackdown on Kurdish activists.

The operation, which took place over a 24-hour period, targeted people suspected of supporting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group labeled as a “terrorist” organization by Turkey.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed in a social media post that the arrests occurred across 30 provinces, with authorities accusing the detainees of financing or spreading propaganda for the PKK.

In response to the crackdown, journalist associations have organized a protest rally in Diyarbakir (Amed), the largest Kurdish city in Turkey Kurdistan (Bakur), in southeastern Turkey, calling attention to the arrests and the government’s ongoing crackdown on Kurdish activists.

Meanwhile, Turkish military operations continue in northern Iraq, where the country’s defense minister, Yasar Guler, reported that PKK fighters were “eliminated” in the Zap region.

The Turkish-Kurdish conflict dates back to 1984, when the PKK took up arms against the state, seeking greater autonomy for Kurds in Turkey. Today, Kurds make up over 22.5 million of Turkey’s 84 million citizens, and they have long fought for recognition of their rights and identity.

The conflict has resulted in the deaths of over 40,000 people, including Turkish soldiers and Kurdish rebels.

Although the PKK predominantly targets military and government infrastructure, it strictly avoided civilian casualties in its operations. This approach has led many organizations around the world to call on governments to reconsider the PKK’s designation as a terrorist group.

Recently, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has indicated a shift toward a more conciliatory approach with Kurdish factions. He has even proposed the potential release of Abdullah Öcalan, the PKK leader, who has been incarcerated since 1999.

The Kurdish issue remains a sensitive topic in Turkey, with a large segment of the Kurdish population sympathetic to the PKK’s cause, both within Turkey and among Kurdish communities abroad.

(With files from AFP | Agencies)