Turkey stripped three elected pro-Kurdish mayors of their posts in southeastern cities on Monday, for convictions and charges on terrorism-related offences, the interior ministry said, appointing state officials in their places instead.
The old city of Mardin © Mena Today
Turkey stripped three elected pro-Kurdish mayors of their posts in southeastern cities on Monday, for convictions and charges on terrorism-related offences, the interior ministry said, appointing state officials in their places instead.
Local governors replaced the mayors in the provincial centres of Mardin and Batman, while the mayor of Halfeti in Sanliurfa province was also unseated, it added.
All belonged to the pro-Kurdish DEM Party, which has 57 seats in the national parliament. Dozens of pro-Kurdish mayors from its predecessor parties have been removed from their posts on similar charges in the past.
Last week, a mayor from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) was arrested after prosecutors accused him of belonging to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), banned as a terrorist group in Turkey.
The changes followed a proposal by President Tayyip's Erdogan main ally last month aimed at ending the state's 40-year conflict with the PKK.
Reporting by Daren Butler
The mayor of Izmir, Turkey's third-largest city and a bastion of its secular opposition, joined President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party (AKP) on Wednesday, giving it the mayoralty of a city it has never won at the ballot box.
Israelis will on Wednesday mark three years since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, triggering a military assault that destroyed much of Gaza, where conditions remain dire despite a year-old ceasefire that is meant to halt the war for good.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to Ankara and Istanbul from October 21 to 23, his office said on Tuesday, in what will be the first dedicated bilateral visit to NATO ally Turkey by a Canadian leader.
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.