Twenty people were taken into custody in the cities of Adana, Mersin and Antakya, in the south of Turkey, on 10 March. While 12 have been released, eight have been arrested for alleged membership in an illegal organisation. Among those arrested is Muhsin Çobanoğlu, a representative of the Socialist Platform for the Oppressed (ESP) and independent mayoral candidate for Antakya.

The decision for the arrests was made yesterday, 12 March.

The other seven people arrested are: ESP Adana representative Hülya Gerçek, Seval Gündoğdu, İlker Tatlıpınar, Seher Kilisli, Barış Çırpan, Gülay Türk and Ersin Bilgili.

In Istanbul, 28 people had been taken into custody on the same morning of 10 March, when the office of the Güneş Agency, which provides technical support for the leftist Atılım newspaper, and the Istanbul office of the ESP were raided.

Five people have been released. The 23 still in detention will today be taken to the prosecution in Besiktas.

Among those taken into custody are Hacı Oman, the head of the BEKSAV culture and research centre, Alp Altınörs, the coordinator of the Nazım Hikmet Marxist Sciences Academy, Münevver İltemur, board member of the Worker Women’s Assocation (EKD), Atılım newspaper reporters Önder Öner, Çetin Poyraz and Muharrem Demirkıran, and Ozan Emre Yılmaz, president of the Federation of Socialist Youth Assocations (SGD).

The ESP, Atılım newspaper, BEKSAV, SGD and EKD have been protesting against the raids and detentions. (ŞÇ/TK)