Eylem Oyunlu, the mother of a 10-day-old baby and a 2-year-old toddler, has been arrested in the southeastern city of Diyarbakır on charges of “aiding a terrorist organization” and jailed together with her children, the Mesopotamia news agency reported on Thursday.
Oyunlu had gone to the prosecutor’s office in Lice to give a deposition and was arrested by a court shortly thereafter. She gave birth less than two weeks ago, and her baby has not even been officially registered.
Oyunlu’s mother and two siblings were arrested on April 20 on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” and “aiding a terrorist organization.”
According to legal experts, the arrest of pregnant women or women with babies falls afoul of the Law on the Execution of Sentences and Security Measures, which stipulates that “execution of the prison sentence is delayed for women who are pregnant or have given birth within the last year and a half.” But the detention and arrest of pregnant women and mothers with babies have been continuing unabated in Turkey.
