Lawyer Mahmut Alınak, former Member of Parliament for Kars and Şırnak, was arrested on Thursday afternoon (8 December) and brought to the Metris Prison in Istanbul. His son and lawyer, Sinan Alınak, confirmed this information in an interview with bianet. He said that his father was taken to court on Wednesday evening (7 December) upon an arrest warrant. He was taken into custody and taken to the Beşiktaş Courthouse the following day where he was arrested.

Mahmut Alınak was arrested together with lawyers Mehmet Ayata and Yalçın Sarıtaş and Sebahat Zeynep Arat, Secretary of the Asrın Law Office.

Sinan Alınak added that they were expecting his father and the other three people who were arrested together with him to be transferred to the Kandıra F Type Prison after one week.

Arrest upon appeal of prosecutor

Alınak, Ayata, Sarıtaş and Arat were taken into police custody during the operation against the Union of Kurdish Communities (KCK), the umbrella organization that includes the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), on 22 November. The prosecutor demanded their arrest but the court on duty decided for their release pending trial on 25 November.

Thereupon, the prosecutor's office objected the court decision and reiterated their request for the arrests of these four persons. However, the court rejected the demand of the prosecution and stuck to its initial decision regarding a trial without detention.

The prosecutor's office applied to the superior court thereafter and the demand for the arrest of Alınak, Ayata, Sarıtaş and Arat was accepted. The court issued according arrest warrants.

Subsequently, the four people were taken into police custody. The corresponding decision was read out to them at the Beşiktaş Courthouse. They were arrested under allegations of "membership of the KCK" and taken to prison. (EKN/VK)