Kurdish politician Sara Kaya released after 7 years in prison

Sara Kaya, the former co-mayor of the Nusaybin district of Mardin, was released from prison on May 9 after a prolonged period of incarceration.

Kaya was initially detained in a raid on her home on January 13, 2017, and subsequently imprisoned. She was replaced by a government-appointed trustee at the Nusaybin Municipality, a widespread practice in the country’s Kurdish-populated regions that has been a point of contention.

Upon her release, Kaya returned to her hometown of Nusaybin, where she was warmly welcomed by a large crowd, including members of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, the successor to the HDP, as well as the district’s co-mayors.

In a symbolic gesture, Kaya released white doves with the crowd gathered outside the DEM Nusaybin district office. Addressing those who came to greet her, Kaya emphasized the resilience of the Nusaybin people, stating their struggle was “for peace and freedom.” She expressed solidarity with the women who continue to resist and conveyed greetings from those still detained, expressing hope for their eventual release.

The removal of mayors from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) began during the state of emergency declared after the coup attempt in July 2016 and persisted beyond the 2019 local elections. Under Turkish legislation, the interior minister is empowered to dismiss local officials if they are under investigation for certain offenses, including “terror-related” crimes, which has frequently been the basis for the dismissal of Kurdish mayors. After the 2019 election, the HDP had lost all but a handful of more than 60 city, district and township municipalities it had won.

The Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, the successor to the HDP, took back almost all of those municipalities and additional ones in the region in this year’s local polls. The government has so far refrained from repeating the removal of the mayors and has not expressed such intentions. On the contrary, President and AKP leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared a “period of detente” in the country’s political scene after what was considered his AKP’s most serious election loss in its 22-year rule. (EMK/VK)