Turkish police detained two female pro-Kurdish lawmakers Tuesday as a crackdown intensified after a deadly Istanbul bombing that raised questions about Ankara’s strategy in fighting separatist militants.
The detentions came after twin blasts hit Istanbul on Saturday killing 37 police officers and seven civilians, which were claimed by the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK).
TAK is seen as a radical offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The two women, Caglar Demirel and Besime Konca, who represent the southeastern Kurdish-majority cities of Diyarbakir and Siirt respectively, were held as part of a sweeping anti-terror probe, state news agency Anadolu said.
“(The) head of the party’s parliamentary group Caglar Demirel and Siirt MP Besime Konca were unlawfully detained in front of our (Ankara) headquarters,” the leftwing pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) said on Twitter.
Konca was taken to court in the southeastern province of Batman, Dogan news agency reported, where she was released under “judicial control,” the equivalent of being freed under supervision. An investigation had been launched into the MP after she allegedly spoke at the funeral of a man killed during security operations against Kurdish rebels in Diyarbakir, the agency said.
Meanwhile, the number of journalists detained worldwide rose in 2016, an increase related to Turkey where more than 100 journalists and media contributors are in jail, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said Tuesday.
“A total of 348 journalists are currently detained worldwide — six percent more than were detained at this time last year,” RSF said in its annual report. The figure includes bloggers and freelance contributors.
“The number of detained professional journalists in Turkey has risen 22 percent after quadrupling in the wake of the failed coup d’etat in July,” it said. The number of women journalists imprisoned more than quadrupled over the period (from five to 21).

Source: Arab News