Turkey Detains Hundreds in “Terror” Sweep as Potential Peace Talks with PKK Emerge
Turkish authorities have detained 282 individuals across 51 cities in a wide-ranging operation targeting alleged “terror” ties, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Tuesday, Al Jazeera reports.
The sweep, which began five days ago, has ensnared journalists, opposition politicians, academics, and members of the pro-Kurdish DEM party, raising concerns about freedom of expression and political dissent.
The Istanbul prosecutor’s office stated that arrest warrants were issued for 60 people, all accused of having connections to terrorist organizations. The raids occurred in major cities including Istanbul, Ankara, and Diyarbakir, a city with a significant Kurdish population in southeastern Turkey.
This crackdown coincides with apparent efforts by Ankara to revive long-dormant peace talks with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies. These discussions stalled a decade ago.
Sources suggest a potential breakthrough in the peace process, sparked by an overture from Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli in October. Bahceli publicly called on jailed PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan to renounce violence in exchange for the possibility of early release from Imrali island, where he has been imprisoned in solitary confinement since 1999.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s backing of Bahceli’s call has fueled optimism about a potential end to the decades-long conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
A DEM delegation has visited Ocalan twice since late December, followed by discussions with various parliamentary factions. On Sunday, the delegation traveled to Iraq to meet with Kurdish representatives, highlighting ongoing efforts to foster dialogue and build consensus.
Fighters from Ocalan’s PKK operate out of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, where Turkey also maintains military bases.
Ocalan is widely expected to urge his followers to lay down their arms in the coming weeks, with Kurdish politicians expressing confidence that this announcement will occur before Newroz, the Kurdish New Year, in March.
