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Detained while they were reporting the protests against appointment of trustees to three Metropolitan Municipalities in Mardin on August 20, Mezopotamya Agency (MA) reporters Ahmet Kanbal and Mehmet Şah Oruç, Jinnews reporter Rojda Aydın and freelance journalists Nurcan Yalçın and Halime Parlak were released late in the evening yesterday (August 26).
Five journalist had been in custody for seven days. Detained on August 20, journalists' period of detention was extended for four days on August 23 on the ground that "the investigation was not completed."
CLICK - Protests Against Trustees: MPs Hospitalized, Journalists Detained
Ahmet Kanbal, one of the released journalists, has announced their release on Twitter. "Detaining us for seven days, they released us after asking a single question, namely what we were doing in front of the municipality. Greetings to everyone who asks and wonders", Kanbal has said.
7 günlük gözaltından sonra bugün tek soru soru ile belediye önünde ne yaptığımızı sorup bıraktılar.
— Ahmet Kanbal (@ahmetkanball) August 26, 2019
Soran, merak eden tüm dostlara selamlar pic.twitter.com/1iyHkyQ1Cz
Trustees to three municipalities
The Ministry of Interior announced that they dismissed Metropolitan Mayor of Diyarbakır Selçuk Mızraklı, Metropolitan Mayor of Mardin Ahmet Türk and Metropolitan Mayor of Van Bedia Özgökçe Ertan on August 19.
Diyarbakır Governor Hasan Basri Güzeloğlu, Mardin Governor Mustafa Yaman and Van Governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez have been appointed as Acting Metropolitan Mayors, or rather, as trustees.
As reported by Anadolu Agency, the mayors have been removed from office on the ground that there are 9 ongoing investigations against Diyarbakır Metropolitan Mayor Selçuk Mızraklı, 6 ongoing investigations against Mardin Metropolitan Mayor Ahmet Türk, 7 ongoing investigations against Van Metropolitan Mayor Bedia Özgükçe Ertan at heavy penal courts. (TP/SD)
