The central office of the pro- Kurdish Özgürlükçü Demokrasi newspaper in Istanbul's Beyoğlu district was raided by police in the first hours of 28 March and at least nine were detained in the raid according to Evrensel.
Those who were detained include İhsan Yaşar, owner of the copyrights to Özgürlükçü Demokrasi; Kasım Zengin, owner of the printing house that publishes the newspaper, and media workers Erdoğan Zamur, Musa Kaya, Kemal Kürt, Cemal Tunç, İrfan Kara, Kemal Daşdöğen and Mehmet Emin Sürmeli, according to a list provided by Özgürlükçü Demokrasi.
Police broke the latch on the Özgürlükçü Demokrasi office door in the raid on 28 March. (Photo by reporter who wishes to remain anonymous.)
There were also conflicting reports about whether the newspaper's assets were seized by the government.
According to some reports, an official from the Turkish banking watchdog the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF), who was on the site told the newspaper's lawyers that government-appointed trustees had been assigned to Engin Publishing and Gün Publishing and Print. Inc., the two companies which publish Özgürlükçü Demokrasi.
However, another report suggested that the same official didn't confirm that the newspaper had been given to his organization's control and asked lawyers to get in touch with other officials.
