Fikret Başkaya, a prominent critic of Turkish autocratic President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s regime and founder of Özgür Üniversite (Free University) where he gives lectures about history and politics, was briefly detained following a police raid against his home in Ankara on Monday morning.
The 77-year-old academic and the author of several books was detained by Ankara police. Writer Fikret Başkaya’s home in Batıkent neighbourhood was raided by Turkish police on Monday morning. After a brief house search, Başkaya was detained and taken to the General Security Directorate. Police seized Başkaya’s computers, mobile phone and some of his books.
The suspects were taken to police headquarters and were reportedly detained for allegedly “providing financial aid to the terror organization” and “engaging in propaganda in favor of the organization on social media.” Police are still working on apprehending the remaining suspects.
Meanwhile, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Barış Yarkadaş tweeted that there was a confidentiality order on the investigation and they were not provided any information by authorities regarding the detentions. Başkaya was released later on the same day.
Among those detained was also the Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (HDP) provincial head, online news outlet Gazete Duvar reported, while stating that detention warrants were issued for 20 suspects in the investigation. In a related development, police conducted other house raids and detained HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party) Party Assembly member Hüseyin Gözen and HDP members Hande Kaya and Birsen Celal. (SCF with turkeypurge.com)
