The Italian government on Friday slammed the arrests of the joint leaders of Turkey's pro-Kurdish opposition party, People's Democracy (HDP) and 10 other lawmakers.
"News of the arrest of HDP leaders, Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag and of many of its MPs, is a source of great concern," Italy's foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni said in a statement.
Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag are accused of spreading propaganda for Kurdish militants fighting the Turkish state and failing to co-operate with a counter-terrorism investigation which they vowed to boycott in June.
Gentiloni deplored the suspected car bombing in Diyarbakir that killed nine people and injured more than 100 people hours after Demirtas was arrested in the southeastern Kurdish-majority city.
"The Italian government confirms its solidarity with the Turkish authorities fighting against the threat of terrorism and expresses its condolences to the families of the victims of last night's attack on Diyarbakir," Gentiloni said.
"However, the fight against the PKK cannot justify denying the rights to which opposition MPs are entitled."
The Turkish government suspects the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) of being behind the blast.
Their arrests came amid a major escalation of a clampdown that has seen Kurdish media closed down and the mayor of the Diyarbakir arrested.
Turkish politicians normally have immunity from prosecution but this was removed from HDP and some other lawmakers in May in a constitutional amendment approved by the parliament.
