2 700 held in two weeks of Turkey terror probes

Istanbul - Turkey detained 1 682 people in the past week as

part of raids against alleged Kurdish militants, Islamic State and

followers of US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, according to data

from the Interior Ministry released Monday.

This raises to nearly 2 700 the number of people detained in the past

two weeks as part of what the government sees as a war on terrorism.

Of those taken into custody in the last week, 516 were formally

arrested, including 426 alleged followers of Gulen, 12 accused

members of Islamic State and 78 suspected of links to Kurdish

militants. Four Kurdish fighters were captured, the government said.

Last week, the authorities said they detained 924 people suspected of

links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and detained 88 alleged

members of Islamic State.

Gulen, a Turkish-born preacher, is accused of plotting the July coup

attempt, charges he denies.

Meanwhile, the deputy co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic

Party (HDP), Aysel Tugluk, was detained by Turkish anti-terrorism

police at her home in the capital Ankara, following a string of

arrests of her fellow party members.

The HDP called her detention "illegal." The state-run Anadolu news

agency said she was under investigation for terrorism related

charges.

Tugluk acts as a lawyer for arrested HDP leaders. The authorities are

currently holding in prison 12 HDP members of parliament, including

the group's co-chairs. Parliament lifted the immunities of nearly all

of the party's 59 deputies.

In the south-east, 54 municipalities have been formally taken over by

the central government and their elected mayors - all affiliated with

the HDP - deposed. There is no sign there will be fresh elections.

Thousands of party members have been arrested in the past year,

according to the HDP, a leftist party which aims to represent the

country's large Kurdish minority, a group which often complains of

systematic discrimination by the state.

The government has accused the HDP of links to terrorism, charges the

party staunchly denies. It often condemns bombings by Kurdish

militant groups and is urging the government to restart peace talks

with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an armed group.

Also, more than 120 journalists remain in jail, and dozens of outlets

have been shut down in recent months. Among those in jail are 10

members of Cumhuriyet, a left-leaning opposition newspaper that has

won a number of awards, including in Europe.

Cumhuriyet reported that a man who worked at a refreshment stand at

the daily was arrested for insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Earlier this year, the government said nearly 2 000 people were

arrested in Turkey for insulting the leader.

Turkish authorities have opened investigations into 3 710 people over

social media posts in the past six months, while 1,656 suspects are

under arrest. Some are accused of insults while others are arrested

for allegedly supporting terrorism.

ANA-dpa