June 3 () –
The Turkish authorities have arrested this Monday the mayor of the city of Hakkari, a member of the pro-Kurdish People’s Party for Equality and Democracy (DEM) for alleged ties with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is why he has appointed a manager to head the Mayor’s Office.
The Turkish Interior Ministry has indicated that Mehmet Akis, co-mayor of the city, has been detained because he “held a high position in the PKK structure” and participated in activities such as “illegal marches”, “terrorist funerals” and fundraising. of “taxes” in favor of the armed group.
Likewise, he has stated in a statement published on his account on the social network rural areas in order to carry out attacks in several cities in the country.
For this reason, he stressed that Akis has been suspended from office and added that there is an investigation underway against him for alleged links with a “terrorist organization”, as Ankara considers the PKK, in line with the European Union (EU). ) and the United States, among others.
Over the past few years, dozens of mayors elected as candidates for pro-Kurdish parties — especially in the Kurdish-majority southeast and east — have been detained and expelled from office by authorities for alleged ties to the PKK. Thus, they have been replaced by “administrators” appointed by the Government.
The DEM has rejected “the administrators’ position” and has demanded the release of Akis, the victim of “an attempted coup against Hakkari’s will.” “Our people showed through democratic means that they do not recognize this position of administrators,” he stated in X, before emphasizing that “it is a threat not only to Hakkari, but to the entire Turkish people.”
The pro-Kurdish party achieved important victories in the March general elections, in which it won the provinces of Batman, Diyarbakir, Hakkari, Igdir, Mardin, Siirt and Van, taking over from the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), which In the previous general elections it became the third party with the most seats.
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