JINHA

AMED –Yesterday, police organized raid on main office of Azadiya Welat daily, 27 staff members of the daily were detained. “Free press cannot be silenced,” shouted journalists to protest the detention.

Yesterday, police conducted raid on the main office of Turkey’s only Kurdish-language daily Azadiya Welat (Free Country). After four-hour search in the office, police detained 27 staff members. Detainee journalists shouted slogan, “We’ll win by resisting,” while being taken to bus.

Journalists, who waited in front of building of the daily in order to support Azadiya Welat staff members. Journalists shouted slogan, “Free press cannot be silenced,” to protest the detention.

Names of detained people are as follows;

Yasemin Sayın
Hayat Yılmaz
Ahmet Kızılay
Arap Turan
Berxwedan Tulpar
Sürreya Dal
Zeynep İzgi
İbrahim Bayram
Engin Özelçi
Ahmet Boltan
Ceylan İpek
Mehmet Emin Kaya
Ziyan Karahan
Veysi Altın
Ercan Yeltaş
Azime Tarhan
Serdal Polat
Cengiz Aslan
Ferit Toprak
Mehmet Hüseyin Şahin
Mehmet Aydın
Pusat Bulut
Mehmet Emin Akgün

Children named Vesile Tulpar, Bahar Haram, Mecrum Tekol and Aydın Kaya, who were at office as guests, were also detained.

Detained people were taken to Diyarbakır Police Headquarters.

(gc-sg/fk/gd)