Alwaght – Turkish security forces arrested a top Kurd politician in their latest crackdown on opposition groups after the failed coup against the government.
The police raided the home of Mr. Alp Altinors in Erbil early in the morning and took him into custody, the Kurdish People Democratic Party (HDP) reported on Friday.
Altinors is a , a legitimate Kurdish party present in Turkish parliament.
He was accused of attending the funeral of HDP executive Mr. Zakir Karabulut who was killed in the ISIS suicide bomb attack against a peace rally in Ankara on October 10, 2015, the statement said.
"Turkish government attempted to use religion and financial resources to weaken the growing Kurdish popular movements. On the other hand, in order to maintain its hegemonic domination over the Kurds, the AKP [Justice and Development Party] government has looked for a consensual control over Kurds,” the statement adds.
The Turkish government claims it operation is targeting those related to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and has suspended 11,285 teachers for alleged links.
The Turkish Prime Minisiter Binali Yildirim said that an estimated 14,000 teachers have links to the PKK.
In a similar development, Prominent Turkish journalist Ahmet Altan and his brother, academic and columnist Mehmet Altan, were detained on Sept. 10 for questioning, Hurriyet Daily News reported.
Journalist Ahmet Altan (L) and academic Mehmet Altan.
Announcing the detentions, Istanbul-based Platform for Independent Journalism (P24) said the reason for the detentions was “Altan brothers' statements on a TV show before the July 15 failed coup attempt in Turkey.”
Ahmet Altan, a prominent novelist and former editor-in-chief of daily Taraf, is also on trial along with his colleagues for “leaking state secrets” for stories on an alleged coup plan by the Turkish military.
Meanwhile, Hürriyet reporter Arda Akın, who had been arrested for alleged links to the Fethullah Gülen network, accused of masterminding the July 15 coup attempt, was released pending trial late on Sept. 9.
More than 100 journalists have been arrested since July 15 in the probe against followers of the U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen.
