With the start of the Turkish invasion of northern Syria on 9 October 2019, the Turkish government has completely shut down the democratic political field and suspended even the most basic rights.
Adnan Selçuk Mızraklı, co-mayor of Diyarbakır (Amed) Metropolitan Municipality, was removed from his post and replaced by a trustee on August 19 as part of the Turkish regime’s political genocide campaign against the Kurdish people and their elected representatives.
Alongside Mızraklı, co-mayors of Mardin and Van, Ahmet Türk and Bedia Özgökçe Ertan, were also suspended and replaced by trustees.
On 21 October 2019, suspended co-mayor of Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality, Adnan Selçuk Mızraklı was detained together with co-mayor of Diyarbakır’s Kayapınar District Municipality Keziban Yılmaz, co-mayor of Diyarbakır’s Bismil District Municipality Orhan Ayaz and co-mayor of Diyarbakır’s Kocaköy District Municipality Rojda Nazlıer due to an “ongoing legal investigation” against them.
The four democratically elected co-mayors have been referred to court on Tuesday following the procedures at the police department.
Mızraklı was remanded in custody for alleged “membership to a terrorist organization” and “spreading terror propaganda”.
Bismil co-mayor Orhan Ayaz who was accused of spreading propaganda for an illegal organization and “publicly inciting people to hatred and animosity” was released on condition of judicial control.
Procedures continue at the prosecutor’s office for Kayapınar co-mayor Keziban Yılmaz and Kocaköy co-mayor Rojda Nazlıer.
Earlier today, Turkish Interior Ministry has appointed trustees to the HDP-run municipalities of Amed’s Kayapınar, Bismil, and Kocaköy districts and Van’s Erciş district.
Co-mayors of Erciş, Yıldız Cetin and Bayram Cicek, have been in custody since October 15 and have not yet appeared in court. Nuri Mehmetbeyoglu, District Governor, was appointed as trustee.
On 15 October 2019, the police raided municipalities of Hakkari, Yüksekova, Nusaybin and Erciş, and detained co-mayor of Hakkari Cihan Karaman, co-mayors of Yüksekova Remziye Yaşar and İrfan Sarı, co-mayors of Erciş Yıldız Çetin and Bayram Çiçek, and co-mayors of Nusaybin Semire Nergiz and Ferhat Kut.
On17 October, co-mayors Cihan Karaman, İrfan Sarı, Remziye Yaşar, Semire Nergiz and Ferhat Kut were arrested with the typical charges of “making terror propaganda” and “membership in a terrorist organization.”
Three more co-mayors of the HDP jailed
The Turkish regime’s political genocide operations against the Kurdish people and their elected representatives have increased remarkably in parallel with the Turkish military offensive seeking to invade North and East Syria.
Co-mayors of the HDP-run municipality of Van’s Erciş district, Yıldız Çetin and Bayram Çiçek, were taken into custody on in a mass arrest operation of the AKP-MHP regime’s security forces October 15.
The two co-mayors, held in custody since, have been referred to court on Tuesday. While Çetin was remanded in custody for alleged “membership to a terrorist organization”, Bayram Çiçek was released on condition of judicial control.
The co-mayors of Amed’s Kayapınar and Kocaköy districts, Keziban Yılmaz and Rojda Nazlıer, who were taken into custody Monday morning, have also been referred to court today.
Both co-mayors were remanded in custody for alleged “membership to a terrorist organization”.
Earlier today, Turkish Interior Ministry has appointed trustees to the HDP-run municipalities of Amed’s Kayapınar, Bismil, and Kocaköy districts and Van’s Erciş district.
Adnan Selçuk Mızraklı, co-mayor of Diyarbakır (Amed) Metropolitan Municipality, who was removed from his post and replaced by a trustee on August 19, has also been sent to prison today on alleged charges of “membership to a terrorist organization” and “spreading terror propaganda”