Turkey launched a massive crackdown on Kurdish politicians, journalists, lawyers and activists on Tuesday, detaining at least 110 people across 21 provinces in an alleged counter-terrorism operation. The raids came less than three weeks before the May 14 parliamentary and presidential elections, which could determine the fate of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s two-decade rule.
The state-run news agency reported that the operation targeted members and supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has been fighting a bloody war against the Turkish state for greater autonomy for the Kurdish minority since 1984. The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
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