Turkey: Dozens held during Kurdish spring festival


17 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

ISTANBUL (AP) — Police in Turkey have detained dozens of people for chanting slogans or unfurling banners in support of outlawed Kurdish rebels during celebrations marking the start of spring.

Festivities were held Wednesday in Istanbul, in the mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir and in several other towns and cities across Turkey, under tight security. Kurds traditionally use the March 21 festival, known as Newroz, to assert their ethnic identity and demand greater rights.

The state-run Anadolu Agency said 22 demonstrators were detained in Istanbul for alleged "propaganda" supporting the rebels and a Kurdish faction in Syria that Ankara also considers as terrorists.

At least 26 others were detained in Izmir and Adana, the agency reported. Police also broke up an unauthorized demonstration in the mainly Kurdish city of Batman.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Photos

Most recent World stories

Related topics

World
The Associated Press

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast