Public officers kidnapped by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) have been handed over to a group including Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) lawmakers and non-governmental organization representatives sent to northern Iraq, Hürriyet Daily News reported.
The group, accompanied by Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials, headed to an undefined meeting point in northern Iraq, Anatolia news agency reported. It was composed of BDP Hakkari Deputy Adil Kurt and BDP Bitlis Deputy Hüsamettin Zenderlioğlu, Head of the Human Rights Association (İHD) Öztürk Türkdoğan, İHD Diyarbakır Provincial Chairman Raci Bilici, Head of Mazlum-Der Faruk Ünsal and Deputy Head of Mazlum-Der Selahattin Çoban.
Turkish President Abdullah Gül expressed his happiness at the release of the Turkish public servants, highlighting that the transition from security-based policies to ones based on reform would be facilitated by an end to violence.
