Six convicted PKK militants break out of Diyarbakır prison

DİYARBAKIR

Six convicted militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) have broken out of a D-Type prison in the southeastern province of Diyabakır amid ongoing counterterror operations in the province. 

The sextet were reported missing from the Diyarbakır D-Type prison in the Kayapınar district following a roll call on the morning of March 6. 

While the identities of the convicts remain unclear, reports indicate they were PKK militants who were sentenced to jail terms for “membership in a terror organization” and “guilt by association.”

According to state-run Anadolu Agency, an unspecified number of the convicts were among those who escaped from an M-Type prison in the eastern province of Bingöl on Sep. 25, 2013. 

Although no official statement was released regarding the situation, reports indicate that a roll call was conducted at the prison and additional security measures were put in place. 

Diyarbakır Gov. Hüseyin Aksoy and Chief Public Prosecutor Ramazan Solmaz visited the penal institution following news of the breakout, Doğan News Agency said.