At least 126 people have been detained by Turkish police as they have suspected links to a banned Kurdish military group. The detentions have been mind ahead of an election that could see President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lose the presidency. Turkish reports said the detentions occurred across 21 provinces and were suspected of financing and helping to recruit for the PKK.
The suspects included journalists, politicians and lawyers. The main pro-Kurdish party said the arrests were timed to impact the voting that is set to occur in 19 days. The lawyers detained are said to be able to scrutinize election security, the journalists could cover potential voter fraud, and the politicians are party campaign managers. The HDP denies any links to the militant PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by the EU, the United States and Turkey. In 2019, dozens of elected HDP mayors were removed because of terror charges. These moves were condemned as a coup against voters by the HDP. The elections are expected to be Turkey’s most significant in years.
Read More: Turkish mass arrests target Kurdish areas ahead of election
