HDP Co-Mayors Taken into Custody

* Photo: HDP Press

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Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Central Executive Committee has released a statement about today's (March 23) operations against its Provincial Municipality of Batman and District Municipalities of Silvan, Ergani, Lice and Eğil in Turkey's southeastern province of Diyarbakır.

In the statement of the party, it has been indicated, "Our municipality buildings in Silvan, Ergani, Lice, Eğil and Batman have been blockaded and started to be searched. In operations conducted to houses, our Batman Co-Mayors Mehmet Demir and Songül Korkmaz, Silvan Co-Mayor Naşide Toprak, Ergani Co-Mayor Ahmet Kaya, Eğil Co-Mayor Mustafa Akkul, dismissed Yenişehir Co-Mayor Belgin Diken, Batman Vice Co-Mayors Şehriban Aydın and Salih Çetinkaya, Batman Municipal Assembly Co-Spokespersons Şükran Çelebi and Recep Yargı have been detained."

Sancar: No official notice

HDP Co-Chair Mithat Sancar has also said, "No official statement has been made by the Ministry of Interior yet. Moreover, no official notices have been delivered to our co-mayors, either. No information has been shared with the public by official sources regarding the nature of this operations.

"However, taking the past experiences into consideration, it is understood that it is a trustee operation. We hope that the government will not implement trustee practice under such circumstances."

In the statement of the HDP, a call has also been made to the members and supporters of the HDP to take to their windows and balconies or to blow the horns of their vehicle at 8 p.m. everyday to protest the trustees. (DB/AÖ/SD)