HDP Mayors, HDK Co-Spokesperson Detained

Photo: AA/Archive

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İpekyolu District Co-Mayors Azim Yacan and Şehsade Kurt from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) have been detained in police raids in Van, a Kurdish-majority eastern province.

HDP members who were brought to the Provincial Security Directorate have been charged with "being a member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party / Kurdistan Communities Union (PKK/KCK) and propagandizing for the terrorist organization."

Numerous HDP co-mayors have been replaced with trustees and politicians from the party have been detained in the Kurdish-majority eastern and southeastern provinces since August 19, when the Ministry of Interior dismissed the mayors of three major cities in the region.

After the detentions, police searched the district municipality building.

The co-mayors won the district in March 31 local elections by 54.47 percent.

Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK) Co-Spokesperson Sedat Şenoğlu has also been detained in a police raid in his home in the southeastern Diyarbakır province.

The HDK said in a tweet that they are "fighting not only for today, but also for tomorrow" and they will not give up their struggle. (TP/VK)