Authorities on Tuesday detained eight members of the Turkish Medical Association’s (TTB) central council who had denounced Ankara’s military operation against a Syrian Kurdish militia, state media reported. Authorities issued 11 arrest warrants for council’s members, eight of whom were detained, including the association’s head Rasit Tukel, state-run news agency Anadolu said. Ankara prosecutors began a probe into the TTB council on Monday after it issued a statement last week saying “war is a man-made public health problem”. The comments led to angry remarks Friday by Erdogan about the “so-called Turkish Medical Association” whose members he described as “terrorist-lovers”. The interior ministry on Monday said 311 people including journalists and activists had been detained over accusations they were spreading “terror propaganda”.

Source: Egypt Independent January 30, 2018 07:30 UTC