MASS DETENTIONS IN TURKEY : Police Raids ESP, ETHA, Özgür Radio, Atılım Newspaper

BIANET 18.6.2013 – Around 5 am local time this morning, police raided several buildings of Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP), Özgür Radio, Etkin News Agency and Atılım newspapers, detaining scores of individuals. 

Police raids on ESP included the party headquarters as well as apartments of party members and leaders. Peace and Democracy Party deputy Sırrı Süreyya Önder was visiting Alp Altınörs from ESP as police raided his apartment.

Police search resumes in ETHA office where journalists Arzu Demir and Derya Okatan are waiting.  “Early morning, a special team with snow masks and rifles raided my apartment. They had me and my wife lay on the floor. We had to remain like that until they searched our IDs. They searched the house for three hours and detained my wife. They also said that the investigation was confidential for 24 hours and detainees will not be allowed to see their lawyers,” ETHA Editor İsminaz Ergün said on the police raid. Raids are reportedly resuming.

The names of detainees are as follows:

Istanbul: ESP Executive Board member and Istanbul Branch Chair Çiçek Otlu, ESP Executive Board member and Istanbul Branch administrator Beycan Taşkıran, ESP Istanbul Branch administrator Erdal Demirhan, Atılım Newspaper Coordinator-in-Chief Sedat Şenoğlu, HDK Executive Board member Alp Altınörs, Özgür Radio staff Selvi Coşar, Ali Karaçay, İsmet Yurtsever, Sıtkı Güngör, Ali Haydar Akdeniz, Mehmet Güneş, Hasan Tunç, Okan Danacı, Cemil Yıldız, Boran Atıcı, Serkan Gündoğdu, Cemal Çakmak, Hatice Çakmak, Aykan Şimşek, Mustafa Diren Saygılı, Metin Külekçi, Sinan Polat, ESP Executive Board member, Dinçer Ergün, Maksut Toprak, Mehmet Güneysel, Şahin Yeşilırmak, Hüseyin Şahin, Ümit Akdağ, Çağrı Aydoğan, Ali Sönmezkaya, ESP Zeytinburnu District Branch Chair Mehmet Aslıvar, Çetin Mordeniz, and two other individuals called Vedat and Emir whose last names are yet to be known. 1 Mayıs Neighborhood: İmran Aydın, Ulaş Yıldız, Savaş Başar, Kenan Alıcı, Mehmet Tunç, Sercan Genç, Gökhan Değirmenci. Ankara: Yoldaş Aydın, Umut Bilgen (ÇT/NV)