Professor Ersanli and Publisher Zarakolu Detained

Professor Büşra Ersanlı and publisher and human rights activist Ragip Zarakolu were taken under custody on October 28, 2011 within the framework of the KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) operation.

Another 41 people were taken under custody as well in the scope of this operation. The police raided various pro- Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) offices in İstanbul including the BDP Istanbul Politics Academy and several BDP branches.

Professor Ersanli is a constitutional law expert and a member of the BDP Assembly. She is an academic at the Faculty of Policitcal Science and International Relations of Istanbul's Marmara University and a member of the BDP Constitutional Commission.

Ragip Zarakolu is a well-known human rights activist and director of Belge Publishing House in Turkey. He is also the chairman of the Publishers Association Freedom to Publish Committee of Turkey.

His son, Deniz Zarakolu, editor of the Belge Publishing House, was arrested on October 4. According to the press, the number of detainees will still increase as the operation is still under way.

BDP Co-chairman Selahattin Demirtaş strongly criticized the new wave of detentions on Friday.

"We will not be able to talk about a healthy constitution-making process if we go ahead like this. We will have no party member who can join efforts for [drafting] a new constitution". (BA)