Political party officials detained for gambling in Turkey's south

ADANA

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Turkish police have raided a political party headquarters in southern Turkey, detaining seven people, including the party's provincial head, for gambling.

The police raided the Future Party of Turkey's (GTP) headquarters in the Adana province on Aug. 22. GTP's Provincial Chair Bayram İlkkılıç, who violated an earlier court order that barred him from entering the building for his past record of illegal gambling there, was among the seven who were detained. Police also fined 101 people for gambling in the party headquarters.

It was not the first police raid targeting the GTP. Eight officials of the party along with 87 others were fined for gambling last month, a year after police raided the same location on similar allegations.

Gambling, providing a venue for gamblers and collecting unearned money are illegal in Turkey. Security forces routinely launch raids on venues used for gambling, usually disguised as various associations and even political parties.

The Adana Police Department had previously raided the GTP's building that had also been used for gambling by the Rise of the Nationalist Will Party (MİY), the Trust Party (GP) and the Çukurova Labor Union for Workers in the Entertainment and Accommodation Sectors (ÇEK-İŞ), a fabricated organization that was used as a cover for gambling parties.