Gezi operation in full force as forces raid over 100 locations

ISTANBUL - Doğan News Agency

DHA Photo

Police forces launched raids at over 100 locations in Istanbul in accordance with the ongoing operations on Gezi supporters, including student dormitories, detaining at least 30 people. 

Istanbul counter-terrorism squads took the streets from early hours of July 16, raiding locations ranging from foundation buildings to students dorms under accusations of violent behavior against shopkeepers and police officers during protests. 

Turkish Youth Union (TGB) Istanbul provincial head Olgu Özdemir and some members of TGB were among the detainees, most of whom are university students. Those detained were taken to the counter-terrorism security branch at Vatan. 

Forces conducted searches in all apartments in set destinations, since no number was specified in the search warrants, allowing whole building to fall within the warrants, according to lawyer Mehmet Ümit Erdem, who told daily Hurriyet yet several irregularities were present at the time of the searches.
 
Erdem, who represents detained Bircan Birol, a member of the Student Collective, added that police forces told lawyers that they lacked proper equipment to copy the confiscated digital evidence, which the law requires to be handed to lawyers as well to prevent any risk of tempering with the evidence. 
The officers also confiscated all books and movies that included words like “strike” or “resistance”, Erdem told daily Hurriyet. 

There are high school students among the detainees as well, daily Hurriyet reported. 

Scores of people have been detained in ongoing operations nationwide, with number of those arrested reaching as high as 48. The latest of the waves of arrests came when 11 people were arrested by court in İzmir, days after 15 were detained over charges related to the use of Molotov cocktails during demonstrations.