Jan 21, 2018

Turkish anti-riot police on Sunday blocked protests in Istanbul and the Kurdish-majority southeast against Ankara's military operation inside Syria.

At least seven people were detained in Kadikoy on the Asian side of Istanbul, an AFP photographer at the scene reported.

One protester was seen with his hands tied behind by the police officers with others were carried roughly away.

The rally had been called by the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), whose members are facing a series of legal challenges for alleged ties with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The police action followed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's warning of a "heavy price" for anyone joining protests against the Turkish army's operation to oust Syrian Kurdish militia from northern Syria.