Scores Detained by Turkish Authorities for Alleged Links to PKK Terrorist Group

Turkish security forces stand behind barricades as protesters gather at a rally organised by the pro-Kurdish Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, dubbed "Freedom Rally Against Isolation,'' against the continued isolation of imprisoned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) founder Abdullah Ocalan, in Diyarbakir, Turkey, on Oct. 13, 2024. Ilyas Akengin/AFP via Getty Images

Turkish authorities have detained scores of individuals suspected of having ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Turkey’s interior minister declared on Feb. 18.

Over the past five days, a total of 282 suspects have been arrested in multiple provinces, including in Istanbul and the Turkish capital of Ankara, according to Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.

“We are determined to eradicate terrorism in all its forms and ensure the peace, unity, and security of our nation,” he said in remarks cited by Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency.

In a statement posted on social media platform X, Yerlikaya said the detained individuals were suspected of helping to finance the group’s activities, distributing pro-PKK materials, and taking part in “violent protests.”

According to the interior minister, the crackdown was staged in coordination with Turkey’s General Security Directorate, judicial authorities, and local law enforcement.

While conducting the raids, security forces seized a number of illegal firearms, including two AK-47 machine guns, he said.

Since the mid-1980s, the PKK has waged an armed insurgency against the Turkish state, carrying out frequent attacks on both military and civilian targets.

It has long been viewed as a terrorist group by Ankara, Brussels, and Washington.

In October 2024, PKK gunmen attacked the headquarters of a Turkish defense organization in Ankara, leaving five people dead, along with the perpetrators.

Turkey responded by staging airstrikes on PKK positions in northern Iraq, where the group is based, and in northern Syria, where the group’s Syrian offshoot—the YPG—maintains a significant presence.

The recent spate of arrests comes amid talks between government officials and Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK’s imprisoned leader, aimed at ending the group’s decades-long armed insurgency.

Opposition Cries Foul

According to some independent media outlets, those detained in the crackdown included a number of opposition party members and journalists.

Turkey’s opposition-leaning Bianet news agency reported that members of the pro-Kurdish DEM Party, Socialist Refoundation Party, and Labor Party were among those detained.

A handful of small opposition parties condemned the arrests and demanded the immediate release of certain detainees, Bianet reported.

In a social media post, the Turkish journalists’ syndicate also decried the spate of arrests, claiming that several reporters had been unjustly detained.

“We do not accept that [the journalists] are detained through house raids instead of being summoned to the police station,” the syndicate said.

According to critics, the government has sought to justify crackdowns on opposition figures and groups by falsely accusing them of having links to the PKK.

The government denies the claims, saying the arrests are necessary to ensure national security.

On Feb. 15, Turkish authorities removed a local mayor in the eastern Van province, later appointing a regional governor to take his place.

The mayor, a DEM Party member, was convicted of “assisting an armed terrorist organization”—a reference to the PKK.

In a statement, the DEM Party, which holds 57 seats in Turkey’s 600-member parliament, described the mayor’s abrupt removal as a “blow to people’s will.”

Since local elections were held early last year, eight DEM Party-affiliated mayors have been removed from office following terrorism-related convictions.

Within the same period, two mayors affiliated with the CHP, Turkey’s main opposition party, have also been removed from their posts amid similar circumstances.

Last week, the European Parliament condemned the removal of opposition-affiliated mayors as a “violation of the fundamental principles of democracy.”

Ankara, however, dismisses the criticisms, saying anyone found to have links with terrorism should not be entrusted to hold government posts.

Reuters contributed to this report.