At least 18 people, including members and executives of pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (HDP) İzmir branches, were detained as part of operations against party members on Tuesday.
İzmir Police launched the operations early on Tuesday, raiding HDP offices in İzmir’s Menemen, Bayındır and Torbalı districts.
Turkey has stepped up its crackdown on Kurdish politicians in recent months. Trustees have been appointed to dozens of municipalities in the country’s predominantly Kurdish Southeast, while hundreds of local Kurdish politicians have been arrested on terror charges.
The developments have attracted widespread criticism from the region and Western countries.