Pro-Kurdish mayor arrested and replaced in Hakkari province

The Hakkari Municipality in southeastern Turkey was raided by the police last night.

According to Mezopotamya Agency, at around 23:00 yesterday, the Hakkari Municipality, which was won by the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) in the March 31 local elections, was surrounded by hundreds of police officers. The security forces blocked all streets leading to and from the municipality. Later on, the doors of the municipality building were broken and the offices raided.

According to the Anadolu Agency, a detention warrant was issued for co-mayor Mehmet Sıddık Akış as part of an investigation conducted by the Hakkari Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. Akış, who was in the province of Van at the time, was detained by security forces and will be taken to Hakkari for the procedures.

The Ministry of Interior issued a written statement saying that a government-appointed trustee will replace co-mayor Akış. The ministry also accused Akış of holding a high-level position in the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), viewed as a terrorist organization by Ankara.

The statement added that there is an ongoing case against Akış on charges of “leading an armed terrorist organization”, “being a member of an armed terrorist organization” and “making propaganda for an armed terrorist organization”.

Following the arrest, DEM Party published the following statement on their social media accounts:

“Every time the will of the people defeats the government, they resort to the methods they know best: illegal disregard of the popular decision through coup d’état. This morning our Hakkari co-mayor Mehmet Sıddık Akış was detained in Van and the police seized our municipality.

“We reject this trustee-oriented approach. Our people showed democratically on March 31 that they do not recognize this trustee mentality.  This putschist and trustee mentality is a threat not only to Hakkari but also to the will of all the people of Turkey. Our people will show their democratic response at the highest level. We call on everyone who supports democracy to take a clear stance against this coup.”

Other opposition parties and organizations also issued statements condemning the arrest and replacement.

“The judicial attacks against the representatives of the Kurdish people and their replacement [government-appointed] trustees are unacceptable,” the Progressive Lawyers Association said. “The unjust detention and arrest must end, the trustee appointments must be reversed and the usurpation of the people's will must be abandoned.”

The governor's office announced on its website this morning that all protests and gatherings in the province were banned for the following 10 days.

(DT)