Hundreds of civil associations suspended in latest Turkey crackdown

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24)- On Friday, Turkey's Interior Ministry ordered the suspension of 370 civil associations and unions including Kurdish ones across Turkey, accusing them of having ties with "terror" groups.

In a press release on its website, the Interior Ministry revealed that of the associations that were ordered to halt their activities, 190 had ties with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that has been waging a decades-long guerrilla war against Turkish troops in the Kurdish region.

153 associations were accused of having ties with the Islamic Gulen Movement called "FETO" and were held responsible for the failed July 15 military coup attempt, and 19 were associated with the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP-C) a Marxist armed group.

Only eight groups were allegedly related to the Islamic State (IS).

The ministry did not name any of the associations suspended, but reports appearing on various provincial websites showed they varied from anti-abuse children's rights groups, lawyers' unions and cultural organizations to charity groups.

Turkish ministries, governors, police and the judiciary act on government decrees that have empowered them as the country has been under a state of emergency since the coup attempt.

HOUSE RAIDS ON HDP ADVISORS

Meanwhile in Ankara, Turkish police units raided the houses of six parliamentary advisors to the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).

An online HDP statement said police arrested six advisors in early morning raids while a court later remanded five of them to prison.

"In the home of Olcay Çelik, the advisor to our Co-Chair Figen Yuksekdag, the policemen kept uttering sexist obscenities and profanities targeting Ms. Yuksekdag," read the HDP release.

Charged with accusations of terrorism Yuksekdag along the party's other Co-chair Demirtas and eight lawmakers have been serving in prison since early November.

Editing by Ava Homa