Fire contained after prison riot in southeastern Turkey
MARDİN - Anatolia News Agency
DHA photo
A fire that was ignited by inmates in a prison in the southeastern province of Mardin in protest at the banning of yesterday’s Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) rally in nearby Diyarbakır has been contained, the province’s governor said today.Fire brigades from Mardin and Kızıltepe municipalities responded to the fire in four wards, while three ambulances were seen leaving the prison. Relatives and families of the prisoners flocked to the building to watch the incident in tears.
Police and gendarmerie forces took extensive measures around the prison to keep relatives of prisoners away from the building.
Mardin Deputy Gov. Müfit Gültekin said the fire was contained and that one person had been injured.
"We have received information that the fire was started to protest the incidents that took place in Diyarbakır yesterday. But that information has not been confirmed yet," he said.
Clashes erupted between BDP supporters and security forces yesterday in Diyarbakır after the governor’s office refused to allow a rally by the party. BDP deputy parliamentary group chair Pervin Buldan suffered a broken leg in the clashes, while Diyarbakır Mayor Osman Baydemir was also wounded by a police baton. BDP deputies Ayla Akat Ata and Mülkiye Birtane were injured during scuffles in other parts of the city.
