Turkey Detains DEM Party Co-Mayors and Council Members in Mersin's Akdeniz District Amid Trustee Imposition

Jan 10, 2025, 06:12 AM

In Mersin, Turkey, the co-mayors of Akdeniz District Municipality from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, Hoşyar Sarıyıldız and Nuriye Arslan, along with municipal council members Özgür Çağlar, Neslihan Oruç, Yakup Danış, and Hikmet Bakırhan, have been detained as part of an investigation led by the Mersin Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. The investigation involves charges including 'propagating for a terrorist organization,' 'membership in an armed terrorist organization,' 'violations under the Law on the Prevention of Financing of Terrorism,' and 'violations of the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations.' Police forces have surrounded the municipality building, implementing security measures. DEM Party Mersin deputy Ali Bozan criticized the detentions, describing them as a political conspiracy and an attempt to disrupt peace in Mersin through the imposition of a trustee. The DEM Party has vowed to continue defending the will of the people against such actions.