Turkish doctor detained over call for probe into chemical weapon use
Sebnem Korur Fincanci has accused the Turkish military of using chemical weapons in their military operation against Kurdish militants.
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Sebnem Korur Fincanci, Turkish physician, head of the doctor's union
Turkish police arrested the head of the Turkish Doctors' Union after she called for an investigation into accusations that Turkey has been using chemical weapons against Kurdish militants, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors announced that Sebnem Korur Fincanci was detained on "terror propaganda" charges.
Ankara, on the other hand, rejected allegations that media outlets close to the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party), which is designated as a "terrorist group" by Turkey, have been making, accusing the Turkish army of employing chemical weapons in its aggression in northern Iraq.
Fincanci has examined video images, speaking to AFP last week, that she had only called for "an effective investigation" into the allegations.
The chief prosecutor's office in Turkey, in a statement on Wednesday, revealed that the head of the Turkish union was detained over "her comments made to the so-called media organ of the armed terror organisation PKK."
The prosecutor's office called for sacking Fincanci from her position and electing a new head.
On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Fincanci of "speaking the language of terrorism," arguing that she cannot remain at the top of the doctors' union. "If necessary, we will ensure that this name is changed by legal regulations," he said.
Turkish intelligence has launched an "operation" in northern Syria under the pretext of eliminating a number of organizations in the region that Turkey classifies as "terrorist groups".
Earlier this month, Necdet Daglarer, a leader of the PKK, was "neutralized" in the operation, according to the Turkish Anadolu Agency via Twitter.
On September 27, Ankara accused the PKK of carrying out an armed attack on a police station in the Mezitli district in Mersin, Turkey. One policeman died in the attack, in addition to the injury of four civilians, according to a statement by the Turkish Ministry of Interior.
The Ministry also confirmed that "Turkish police killed the 2 terrorists that attacked the police station."
Read next: Two Syrian children killed, six injured in Turkish aggression
It is worth noting that Turkey had launched a cross-border military offensive against PKK militants in northern Iraq in an operation that was officially announced on April 18. The operation drew condemnation from Iraq, with the presidency saying that Ankara's operation "poses a threat" to Iraqi national security.
