New links are being added to the chain of imprisonments and repression against the Kurdish people. In Ankara, 14 DTP (Party of Democratic Society) members were taken under police custody for "having participated at the Newroz Day celebrations. 4 of them, including Salih Karaaslan, chairman of the DTP Ankara Branch, have been sent to prison with the allegation that "they are affiliated to PKK (Workers' Party of Kurdistan). In Dersim (Tunceli), 8 DTP members, among them Hidir Aytac, chairman of DTP Tunceli Branch, have been sentenced to 3 years and 9 months in prison. In Bursa, 8 DTP members arrested and sent to prison as a result of the police raids on 8-9 April. Huseyin Diken, chairman of DTP Bursa Branch is among the imprisoned ones. Raids and arrests continue.
The Newspaper Gundem, which was banned for one month on 6 March and began to be published again on 7 April, has been banned again for 15 days only two days after the end of the first penalty.
DTP Istanbul Branch made an action in front of the party building in Bagcilar district on 8 April in order to protest the state terror against DTP and the Kurdish press. Dogan Erbas, chairman of the Istanbul Branch stated here that the repression and attacks against DTP have increased especially after the Newroz Celebrations where the Kurdish people defended resolutely their demands of freedom and democracy despite all the repression and hindrances.
On the other hand, ESP (Socialist Platform of the Oppressed) made street actions in front of the buildings of DTP in Istanbul, Bursa, Ankara, Adana and Izmir on 7 April and in Malatya on 8 April. The actions were organised within the framework of the Solidarity Week with the Kurdish People and under the slogan "Stop the repression against DTP! / Freedom to the imprisoned DTP members!". ESP raised the demand of the Kurdish people for a just, dignified and democratic peace.
Within the same context, ESP activists organised solidarity visits to the DTP offices in Amed, Dersim, Antep and in many other cities.
ESP activists visit the offices of the newspaper Gundem for solidarity and sell the newspaper on the streets and in the labourers' districts.