Students detained in investigation into KCK

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

Dozens of medical students, mostly members of health unions, were detained in a police operation yesterday as part of the investigation into the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), he alleged urban network of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Most of the detained university students were members of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) and the Health Employees Union (SES) which fiercely criticized the government’s recent health policies, according to Aslıhan Han Özden, the legal secretary of the SES.

Doğan news agency said 90 students had been detained while the semi-official Anatolia news agency put the number at 46.

“Our union’s 33 student members, mostly of Kurdish origin, were detained. They were all active union members who attended protests against healthcare privatizations and violence against healthcare workers,” Özden told the Hürriyet Daily News yesterday in a phone interview. Police raided dormitories and houses to detain students, Özden said, adding that this time of the year is dedicated to universities’ final exams, which are crucial for students.

An official from the TTB also said the lawyers of their association were trying to figure out the reason behind the custodies, but the lawyers were not allowed contact with detained students.