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| Turkey pro-Kurdish leaders Demirtas and Yuksekdag detained | Turkey pro-Kurdish leaders Demirtas and Yuksekdag detained |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The two co-leaders of Turkey's pro-Kurdish HDP opposition party have been detained along with other MPs, officials say. | The two co-leaders of Turkey's pro-Kurdish HDP opposition party have been detained along with other MPs, officials say. |
| Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag were detained at their respective homes as part of a counter-terrorism inquiry, security sources quoted by Anadolu news agency said. | Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag were detained at their respective homes as part of a counter-terrorism inquiry, security sources quoted by Anadolu news agency said. |
| At least nine other HDP MPs were also taken into custody. | At least nine other HDP MPs were also taken into custody. |
| Meanwhile social networks could not be accessed from inside Turkey. | Meanwhile social networks could not be accessed from inside Turkey. |
| Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Whatsapp were inaccessible, even when users tried to circumvent restrictions using a virtual private network (VPN). | Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Whatsapp were inaccessible, even when users tried to circumvent restrictions using a virtual private network (VPN). |
| Mr Demirtas had tweeted about his arrest before the sites were restricted. | Mr Demirtas had tweeted about his arrest before the sites were restricted. |
| Another MP from the party who is currently abroad, Ertugrul Kurkcu, told the BBC that the detentions were "totally unlawful". | |
| He said: "This crackdown tonight is nothing to do with procedural law, criminal law, any law whatsoever or the constitution. This is an unlawful hijacking of HDP parliamentarians. | |
| "The Turkish government is heading towards a dictatorship of Nazi style [sic]. | |
| "Will the Turkish government abide by the internationally accepted standards of parliamentary democracy? This is the basic question." | |
| Last month, the co-mayors of Turkey's largest Kurdish-majority city were detained, also as part of a terrorism investigation. | |
| State of emergency | State of emergency |
| Police searched the HDP's head offices in central Ankara as well as making the arrests. | Police searched the HDP's head offices in central Ankara as well as making the arrests. |
| Turkey claims that the HDP has links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a militant group, but the party strongly denies this. | Turkey claims that the HDP has links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a militant group, but the party strongly denies this. |
| The PKK is deemed a terrorist organisation by the US, the European Union and Turkey. | The PKK is deemed a terrorist organisation by the US, the European Union and Turkey. |
| Turkey remains under a state of emergency that was imposed after a failed coup in July. The emergency allows President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his cabinet to bypass parliament when drafting new laws and to restrict or suspend rights and freedoms. | Turkey remains under a state of emergency that was imposed after a failed coup in July. The emergency allows President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his cabinet to bypass parliament when drafting new laws and to restrict or suspend rights and freedoms. |
| About 100,000 public sector employees with alleged links to the coup's alleged mastermind were subsequently purged from their jobs. | About 100,000 public sector employees with alleged links to the coup's alleged mastermind were subsequently purged from their jobs. |
| The HDP entered the Turkish parliament for the first time last year, when it won 59 seats and became the country's third-largest party. | The HDP entered the Turkish parliament for the first time last year, when it won 59 seats and became the country's third-largest party. |
| It had done so after at least two people died in explosions at one of its rallies. | It had done so after at least two people died in explosions at one of its rallies. |
| But just three months later, against a backdrop of rising violence between Turkish forces and the PKK, a crowd attacked the HDP's offices in Ankara. | But just three months later, against a backdrop of rising violence between Turkish forces and the PKK, a crowd attacked the HDP's offices in Ankara. |
| The next day, Mr Demirtas accused the ruling party of orchestrating nationalist attacks. | The next day, Mr Demirtas accused the ruling party of orchestrating nationalist attacks. |
| Turkish politicians normally have immunity from prosecution, but this was removed from the HDP earlier this year. | Turkish politicians normally have immunity from prosecution, but this was removed from the HDP earlier this year. |