2 members of Turkish ruling party killed, 35 arrests

Two officials, members of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), were shot dead on Saturday night.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus claimed Sunday that militants of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) were behind the assasinations but no statement has been made by the organisation.

The victims were identified as "Aydin Ahi, the deputy chairman in the Ozalp district [of Turkey’s Van province] and Orhan Mercan, the deputy chairman in the Lice district [of the Diyarbakir province],” Kurtulmus said on Twitter.

35 people were arrested in Van and Diyarbakir after the killings including Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Lice district co-leader Salime Zingil, Kurdish Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Lice district co-leader Rozerin Yigitel, and DIHA journalist Behcet Bayhan.