A woman who is in the fourth month of her pregnancy and was detained by police during a raid on her house in Diyarbakır’s Bağlar district on Friday has been arrested after spending five days in police custody, the Mezapotamya news agency reported.
On Aug. 9, the pregnant woman, Rabia Akgün, was detained along with her husband, Mehmet Emin, and another woman who was visiting them after police broke into their house and searched it with police dogs.
The police officers reportedly used force and physical violence while detaining the three people, who are accused of aiding and abetting a terrorist organization and membership in a terrorist organization, namely the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the EU.
Turkish law requires postponement of the arrest of pregnant women until they give birth and the infant reaches the age of six months.
Since a failed coup in July 2016, Turkey has been conducting a massive witch-hunt against people from all walks of life on charges of “coup involvement.” Many women jailed with their young children, immediately after delivery or while pregnant, are believed to be linked to the Gülen movement, which is accused by the movement of masterminding the coup attempt. The movement strongly denies any involvement.
