Over 260 PKK suspects detained in nationwide operations

ANKARA

Turkish security forces have apprehended over 260 people, including a suspect linked to a recently prohibited rally in the southern province of Diyarbakır, on charges of affiliation with the PKK terrorist organization, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Oct. 15.

A court has detained one of the suspects, citing involvement in the dissemination of terrorist propaganda related to the rally on Oct. 13, which was banned by the Diyarbakır Governor’s Office yet attempted nonetheless, Yerlikaya said on an X post.

Approximately 47 social media users, who posted pro-PKK content and sought to attend the rally, are now facing legal repercussions, the minister noted.

Nationwide operations spanning 36 provinces led to the detention of 269 individuals. Among the detainees were those identified from photographs with high-ranking PKK terrorists and participants in illicit pro-PKK demonstrations.

Some of the suspects were also apprehended for engaging in clashes with security forces during these illegal demonstrations, Yerlikaya said.

"We shall brook no tolerance for the provocative, terrorism-glorifying scenes and incitement to violence witnessed in Diyarbakır," Yerlikaya said.

PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and the EU.