The number of journalists detained in house raids conducted across several Turkish provinces has risen to eight as part of an investigation led by the Eskişehir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. In total, 13 individuals, including writers, translators, directors, and cartoonists, were detained in the operation.
Raids carried out early Tuesday morning targeted locations in Diyarbakır, Istanbul, Ankara, Batman, and other cities. Those detained are expected to be transferred to Eskişehir for further legal proceedings.
Among the detained are journalists Erdoğan Alayumat, Tuğçe Yılmaz, Bilge Aksu, Ahmet Sünbül, Roza Metina (head of the Mesopotamian Women Journalists Association), Bilal Seçkin, Mehmet Ücar, and Suzan Demir. The list also includes translator-director Ardin Diren, cartoonist Doğan Güzel, poet-writer Hicri İzgören, translator-writer Ömer Barasi, and publishing coordinator Baver Yoldaş.
The Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) Legal Unit announced it would provide legal assistance to the detained journalists in Istanbul and Eskişehir.
The Turkish Interior Ministry issued a statement regarding the operation, which is being conducted under a confidentiality order. It noted that the detained individuals are barred from meeting with their lawyers for 24 hours. The nationwide operation, codenamed “GÜRZ-27,” spanned 30 provinces and resulted in the detention of 231 suspects.
Authorities claim that those detained are implicated in allegations including involvement in the political and media structures of an unnamed organization, financing its activities, conducting propaganda on social media, participating in illegal protests, and causing damage to public property.
