Günay Özarslan killed by Turkish police, scores of people arrested across Turkey and North Kurdistan today

Lawyers have started a sit-in outside the house of Günay Özarslan, slain by police today.
Turkish police hit 140 addresses in 26 districts in Istanbul today in an operaton that was reportedly aimed at the YDG-H (Patriotic Revolutionary Youth-Movement) the DHKP-C (Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front) and ISIS/Daesh. While much is being made of the Turkish government’s recent moves against ISIS, we believe that the government and the reactionary ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) are using the fight against ISIS for cover to instead attack the people’s organizations within Turkey and North Kurdistan and revolutionary Rojava in northern Syria. Günay Özarslan was killed by police in the raids in the Bağcılar district.


Lawyers from the People’s Law Bureau say that they suspect that Günay Özarslan, was assassinated by Istanbul police. The police claim that she opened fire on them but this seems unlikely. Police have refused to allow lawyers into the building. They fear that evidence is being covered up in the killing. The lawyers are continuing their sit-in outside the building. The AKP government is continuing its operations of political genocide across North Kurdistan and Turkey. Thirty-two young people have been taken into custody in house-raid operations by police forces in the Viranşehir, Ceylanpınar and Suruç districts of Urfa. Nine young people detained in the Şırnak, Hürriyet, Cumhuriyet and Yenişehir neighborhoods of Viranşehir were accused of membership to the YDG-H.


In Suruç, the site of the July 20 massacre of 31 socialist young people, 12 people have been detained in the operations conducted in the Sarayaltı, Cumhuriyet, Aydın, Dikili and Yenişehir neighborhoods. Zeliha Çağan, mother of one of the young people who has been detained, said that her son had helped carry the wounded after the bloody suicide attack and was probably detained for that reason. In the Ceylanpınar district, police detained 10 people, including Party of Democratic Regions (DBP) district leaders, in house raids in the Mehmet Akif Ersoy, Aydınlık, Yeni Mahalle neighborhoods and area. In the İdil (Hezex) district of Şırnak, police forces accompanied by armored vehicles raided a number of homes in the Turgut Özal neighborhood at dawn this morning. They broke down doors and beat people in the homes while carrying out detailed searches. Three people were detained in the operation with more detentions expected.
Nine people have been detained in by police in Iğdır province, including DBP provincial co-chair Zübeyde Kaynar, People’s Democratic Party (HDP) provincial co-chair Dilber Turan, former mayor Hüseyin Malk, HDP leader Emine Kartal and BDP members. The detainees are accused of “opposition to the law on meetings and demonstrations” and “spreading propaganda for a terrorist organization” Seven young people have been detained in police operations in Bitlis for alleged membership in the YDG-H. More detentions are expected there. IHD (Human Rights Association) Bitlis Branch Lawyer Bakir Yazı was assaulted and had his arm broken when he went to the police directorate to obtain information regarding the detentions. Police raids hit many homes in the Hacıbekir (Xaçort) neighborhood in the İpekyolu district of Van at midnight. We do not know how many people have been detained there, but much damage was done to the homes.
Eleven people were detained in house raids in the Tepebaşı, Berçem, Koçhisar and Mezopotamya neighborhoods of Mardin’s Kızıltepe district and in the Midyat district of Mardin. In Elazığ province there were police raids in the Ulukent, Kırklar, Hicret and Rızaiye neighborhoods and at least 6 people were detained there, including HDP members and a local DBP leader. Five people were detained in a police operation in Batman for allegedly throwing stones during demonstrations. The police raids in Bingöl were especially violent and nine people were detained there, including workers at the DBP Headquarters. Nine people have been taken into custody in the Tuzluçayır neighborhood of Ankara.
Detention operations in İzmir targeted seven people alleged to be members of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) and the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), including HDP provincial leader Selda Şenol. This operation was reportedly authorized by Public Prosecutor Okan Bato. Police operations in Bursa targeted the homes of HDP members and others. At least seven people have been detained there, including DİHA (Dicle News Agency) reporter Ömer Gül.
A detention operation in Kocaeli targeted 13 people, including HDP members and university students. Some opf those detained have been released. House raids were also carried out in the Seyhan, Yüreğir, Yakapınar (Misis) districts of Adana targeting members of the HDP and others. Ten people were detained in the Seyhan district, including HDP leaders Cemil Demir and Mustafa Azboy. At least 20 people were detained in house raids in the Barbaros, Şahin, Bahçe and Fahrettinpaşa neighborhoods in the Tarsus district of Mersin. This is not a complete list of police actions carried out today. These reports illustrate the Turkish government’s attitude towards the real anti-ISIS forces.
via Turkey Harvest