JINHA

AMED - In the Diyarbakır province of Northern Kurdistan (Turkey), police have started an arrest operation in several towns, violently arresting nine including local co-mayors.

Yesterday, the towns of Lice and Silvan in Diyarbakır province were under heavy police and military assault. Now, police have launched an arrest operation. Democratic Regions Party (DBP) activists, a woman from the Women's Academy in Diyarbakır, and the co-mayors of Sur and Silvan districts were among the nine arrested.

As police violently raided the home of Güneş Ölmez, who works at the Women's Academy in Diyarbakır, police left Güneş' mother Fatma Ölmez with a head wound. Police also pinned down and aimed a gun at Seyid Narin, the co-mayor of the Sur district.

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Parliamentary representative reported that as operations began last night at 4 a.m., HDP representatives asked for the release of Yüksel Bodakçi, explaining that she was the co-mayor of the town of Silvan. The police said that they did not accept her legitimacy as co-mayor as she did not have an "original signature" indicating her position.

Meanwhile, the curfew has been lifted in the town of Silvan as of 7 a.m. today.

(ekip/gc/cm)