Turkey Detains 282 Suspected of PKK Ties During Renewed Peace Efforts

The arrests, targeting journalists, politicians, and academics, coincide with Ankara's attempt to revive talks with the PKK to end decades of conflict.

• Turkish authorities have detained 282 individuals across 51 provinces in a large-scale operation targeting suspected links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), labeled a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies.
• The arrests include journalists, members of the pro-Kurdish DEM party, and left-wing activists, sparking criticism over the treatment of detainees and concerns about press freedom.
• The operation comes as Ankara seeks to restart peace talks with the PKK, with expectations that jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan may call for disarmament by the Kurdish New Year in March.
• The Turkish government has faced skepticism from Kurdish communities, citing past failed peace efforts and ongoing crackdowns on opposition figures and elected officials in Kurdish-majority regions.
• The renewed peace initiative is backed by President Erdogan and nationalist leaders, with proposals for Ocalan to renounce violence in exchange for a possible reduction in his life-long solitary confinement sentence.

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Al Jazeera