Turkey’s opposition parties have condemned the arrests of a dozen Kurdish officials including senior politicians in a terror investigation, branding it an affront to democracy amid mounting outrage by Ankara’s western allies. In a statement, the Turkish government said the detentions had been carried out after HDP MPs refused to testify in a terror probe. HDP is the third-largest party in the 550-seat Turkish parliament, with 59 seats. The US government said that it was “deeply disturbed” by the arrests, while the EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said they compromised Turkey’s parliamentary democracy. Thirteen staff from the opposition Cumhuriyet newspaper, including the editor-in-chief, were detained on Monday, further heightening strains in Turkish society.

Source: The Guardian November 04, 2016 18:09 UTC