A member of the Green Left Party’s (YSP) youth organisation in Turkey’s eastern Muş (Mûş) province discovered a listening device in his home that he shared with another Kurdish activist.

The device was connected to the mains in Maruf Çelikel’s home, and had a back-up battery. The SIM card in it had been active for at least two months, and the bill for it was paid by the police, according to the activist.

“It appears that they entered our home when we were not in and installed this,” Çelikel told Mezopotamya Agency.

The Kurdish youth activist also reported having been followed home. “There is also always an anti-terror department vehicle parked in front of the building,” he said.

“They said they ‘would not be responsible what happened’ to me if I continue to attend party events. They also attempted to unlock my phone by force a few times,” he added.

The device was discovered inside a night lamp. Çelikel and Faruk Küçükçelebi, the other tenant in the apartment, did not know when the bug was installed, but told reporters that their home had been searched by the police several times over the years. The most recent police raid in the home had been in 2022.