On alert against provocations aimed at disrupting the terror-free Türkiye process, authorities on Sunday announced that four suspects who were hanging pictures of PKK terrorists on walls in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır had been detained.
The Diyarbakır Governor’s Office, in a province with a large Kurdish population, said in a statement that the incident was “isolated” and took place “only in a few small streets.”
On Sunday, Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi said in a social media post that authorities would not tolerate anyone trying to thwart the terror-free Türkiye process. The initiative seeks the full disarmament of the terrorist group and recently took a new turn with the introduction of a new law concerning the future status of PKK members. The law defers the prosecution and sentencing of PKK members who were not involved in acts of terrorism.
The PKK stepped up its propaganda activities after the law was introduced, as a party aligned with the group held "remembrance events" for slain PKK terrorists. The events angered critics of the initiative.
Çiftçi said that “every provocateur attempting to poison the climate of national unity and brotherhood will be subject to the treatment he/she deserves.” Proponents of the initiative, including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, say the process will strengthen unity between Turks and Kurds. The latter has been exploited by the PKK for decades, as the terrorist group claims to fight for Kurdish self-rule in the southeast.
