Dismissed Batman Co-Mayor detained

* Photo: Mezopotamya Agency (MA)

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Prevented from attending the Municipal Council meeting, Songül Korkmaz, the Co-Mayor of Batman removed from office by the Ministry of Interior, has been taken into custody with seven Municipal Council members and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Provincial Co-Chair Ömer Kulplu.

Postponed due to novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Municipality Council meetings have started to be held again. A group of people, including dismissed Co-Chair Songül Korkmaz and Municipal Council members, attempted to attend the July meeting today (July 6).

As reported by the Mezopotamya Agency (MA), HDP's Municipal Council members were prevented from entering the municipality building. They demanded an official statement to be taken down about this prevention and a document indicating that the meeting would not be held.

Their both demands were rejected. When they attempted to enter the municipality building in response, they have been taken custody.

'We were not informed'

The following people have been reportedly detained: Dismissed Batman Co-Mayor Songül Korkmaz, Municipal Council members Şükran Çelebi, Gizem Oğurlu, İlkay Alagöz, Şehriban Aydın, Ayşe Önal, Recep Yargı, Şirin Şen and HDP Batman Provincial Organization Co-Chair Ömer Kulplu.

Salih Çetinkaya, a Municipality Council member, has reminded that they are the elected council members and briefly said, "They have our phone numbers at the municipality, we were not informed that the meeting would not be held. We wanted to see a document, they did not bring it and our friends have been detained because they wanted to enter the building." (TP/SD)