Turkish police in the southern province of Mersin said they had detained a pro-Kurdish mayor on Friday, along with five other managers of the municipality, as part of a terrorism-related investigation.
Many pro-Kurdish mayors and local administrators have been detained in similar operations in recent years © Mena Today
Turkish police in the southern province of Mersin said they had detained a pro-Kurdish mayor on Friday, along with five other managers of the municipality, as part of a terrorism-related investigation.
Hosyar Sariyildiz, a member of the opposition DEM Party and mayor of Mersin's Akdeniz district, his deputy Nuriye Arslan, and four other party members of the municipality's assembly were detained and taken in for questioning, police said in a statement.
It added they were detained for "carrying out propaganda for a terrorist organisation", "membership of an armed terrorist organisation", and "violation of the law to prevent financing of terrorism".
DEM, which has 57 seats in the 600-seat parliament, said the investigation was fabricated to justify the appointment of trustees in the local administration of Akdeniz.
"We know these methods very well from the coup practices that the government has been carrying out against the will of the people for years," DEM said in a post on X.
Many pro-Kurdish mayors and local administrators have been detained in similar operations in recent years. The government has typically appointed a trustee to the position during legal proceedings.
There was no announcement of a trustee appointment by the government yet.
The detentions come amid efforts in Turkey aimed at ending a 40-year conflict between the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militia and the state, which have fostered hopes for peace.
The PKK is deemed a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union.
Reporting by Ece Toksabay
On the occasion of Eid al-Adha 2025, Dr. Rafat Husseini, Director of the Jerusalem Branch of the International Organization for Human Rights and the Defense of Freedoms, issued a heartfelt message combining spiritual reflection with a strong call for unity, justice, and social responsibility.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Friday that the Israeli army will continue striking targets in Beirut unless the Lebanese government disarms Hezbollah, escalating tensions a day after a wave of Israeli airstrikes devastated several buildings in the densely populated southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital — a stronghold of the Shiite group.
The European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, announced on Thursday a €175 million aid package for Syria, calling it a "clear message" of support from the European Union.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.