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

Opposition parties and organizations claim the spate of arrests is politically motivated.

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.