Demonstrators Denounce Turkish Crackdown on Kurd MPs

Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city witnessed a huge rally on Sunday where people condemned the arrests of ten prominent lawmakers from the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party, also known as the HDP, including the party’s co-leaders, Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag.
 
The angry protesters held placards and chanted slogans denouncing the "fascist" state and vowing, "Shoulder to shoulder against fascism."
 
At least ten lawmakers from the HDP were arrested this month in the latest crackdown by the Turkish government on charges of supporting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in its deadly insurgency in southeastern Turkey. Several mayors in the predominantly Kurdish southeast were also arrested following similar allegations.
 
The arrests have prompted angry reactions from the European Union and other Western countries.
 
The arrests marked a sharp escalation in the Turkish government’s months-long crackdown that has seen many put behind bars or suspended from work over allegations of being linked to the PKK and Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric accused by Ankara of orchestrating the abortive coup of July 15. Gulen denies the allegation.
 
Southeastern Turkey has been the scene of deadly fighting between Kurdish militants and the army over the past months. The fighting escalated after Turkey declared the collapse of years-long peace negotiations with the Kurds last year and began imposing restrictions in Kurdish-dominated areas.