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
Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the head of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) on charges of threatening and insulting Istanbul's chief prosecutor, adding to a broad crackdown on the opposition.
U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Wednesday banning the citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States, saying the move was needed to protect against "foreign terrorists" and other security threats.
Israel's military recovered the bodies of two hostages, Judi Weinstein-Haggai and Gad Haggai, who were held by Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday.
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.