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Pro-Kurdish and socialist politicians, journalists among 34 arrested on terrorism charges

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Authorities in Turkey have arrested 34 people, including politicians, journalists and activists, on charges of membership in a terrorist organization following a series of raids targeting socialist and pro-Kurdish groups, Deutsche Welle’s Turkish edition reported on Saturday.

The arrests followed a counterterrorism operation launched on January 21 by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office as part of an investigation into the Marxist Leninist Communist Party (MLKP), which Turkey considers a terrorist organization. The detained individuals include Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP) Co-chair Hatice Deniz Aktaş, Federation of Socialist Youth Clubs (SGDF) Co-chair Berfin Polat and Züleyha Müldür, a correspondent for the Etkin News Agency (ETHA).

Turkish authorities conducted simultaneous raids on 35 locations in İstanbul and 13 others in Ankara, Eskişehir, Yalova, İzmir and Diyarbakır, targeting members of the ESP, SGDF and Socialist Women’s Councils (SKM). Police also raided the Foundation of Science, Education, Aesthetics, Culture and Art Research (BEKSAV) in İstanbul, seizing sound equipment from a studio used by Grup Vardiya, a leftist musical collective.

Out of the 41 people initially detained, 34 were arrested on charges of membership in a terrorist organization, while four were released under judicial supervision. The investigation remains under a gag order, with a one-day restriction on lawyer-client meetings imposed, according to the Law Office of the Oppressed (EHB), a legal advocacy group.

The arrests have drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties and human rights organizations, which view them as part of a broader crackdown on dissent. The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) condemned the arrests as an attack on democratic politics and the right to protest.

“Repression and detentions are not the solution; they only deepen the problems further,” the DEM Party said in a statement. “For social peace and a democratic country, the government must abandon these policies.”

The ESP also denounced the arrests, accusing the government of trying to suppress opposition voices. “Your power is not enough to stop us,” the party said, vowing to continue its political struggle.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government has long been accused of using counterterrorism laws to stifle opposition. Thousands of politicians, activists and journalists have been arrested in recent years.

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