Turkish authorities detained 147 individuals in 10 days of operations targeting alleged members and supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the interior minister announced Saturday.
The coordinated operations spanned 41 provinces, including major urban centers such as İstanbul, Ankara and İzmir as well as southeastern areas with significant Kurdish populations.
41 ilde PKK/KCK'ya yönelik Jandarma tarafından son 10 gündür devam eden “GÜRZ-37" operasyonlarında 147 şüpheli Terör Örgütü Mensubu yakalandı❗️
Şüphelilerden;
⛔30‘u tutuklandı.
⛔17’si hakkında adli kontrol kararı verildi. Diğerlerinin işlemleri devam ediyor.🚩Cumhuriyet… pic.twitter.com/pruGZvigfb
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) January 11, 2025
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a statement on X that 30 of the detained suspects were arrested by the courts for terrorism-related offenses, while 17 others were released under judicial supervision. Legal proceedings for the remaining detainees are ongoing.
Turkey and its Western allies designate the PKK as a terrorist organization.
The PKK has waged an armed insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984. Turkish security forces regularly conduct operations against individuals suspected of PKK ties and target pro-Kurdish political figures, who often deny affiliations with the group.
On Friday Turkish security forces raided a city council in the southern province of Mersin, detaining co-mayors and four council members affiliated with the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party).
The arrests come amid speculation of potential peace talks between Ankara and the PKK.