Turkey arrests nearly 40 people in Istanbul ahead of May Day

Turkish authorities arrested nearly 40 people in Istanbul on Tuesday ahead of International Workers' Day on 1 May, detaining journalists, trade unionists and opposition figures in a series of pre-dawn raids.

The Istanbul prosecutor general's office said arrest and search warrants had been issued against 62 people, of whom prosecutors deemed 46 "likely to carry out attacks." Of those 46, 39 were detained in Istanbul and the nearby Kocaeli area, the office added.

Turkey's MLSA, a press and legal freedom body, said police raided the home of a lawyer and the offices of opposition newspapers Özgür Gelecek and Yeni Demokrasi, where doors were "kicked in." According to lawyer Serhat Alan, whose home was searched, "custody documents concerning 46 people were presented to him," the MLSA said. "Since this case is subject to a 24-hour confidentiality order, restrictions have been imposed on access to lawyers," it added.

The main pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), the third-largest in parliament, denounced what it said were "operations targeting the left and socialists" as well as student organisations before 1 May. "Numerous comrades have been taken into custody," the party said, adding that the actions were aimed at "shrinking the space for democratic politics" and would "deepen social tensions."

International Workers' Day traditionally sees a major police deployment across Turkey, with a large area around Istanbul's Taksim Square sealed off the previous evening. Last year, more than 400 people were arrested during May Day protests in the city, which moved to the Kadıköy area.