At least 110 people were arrested in Turkey on Tuesday in an “anti-terrorist” operation in 21 provinces targeting many journalists and lawyers from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a police source said, according to AFP.

This operation is being carried out three weeks before the elections, which are considered decisive, in 21 provinces, including Diyarbakır (southeast), where the majority of the population is Kurdish, News.ro cites.

According to the Diyarbakır Bar Association, contacted by AFP, “the total number of arrests could reach 150 people”, including “about 20 lawyers, five journalists, three theater actors, as well as one politician”.

Lawyers do not have the right to communicate with their clients within 24 hours, the association notes.

“The homes of many people, including journalists, lawyers and leaders of public organizations, were searched early in the morning,” said the NGO for the protection of freedoms MLSA.

Turkey will hold presidential and legislative elections on May 14, which are seen as crucial to whether Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his AKP party, who have ruled the country for more than 20 years, will remain in power.

The opposition formed a front of six parties that nominated a single presidential candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who is backed by the pro-Kurdish HDP party.