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Turkey dismisses two more Kurdish presidents

2024-11-23 08:26:20, Kosova & Bota CNA

Turkey dismisses two more Kurdish presidents

Two opposition mayors in eastern Turkey's municipalities have been dismissed from office after being convicted of "terrorism" for being members of a Kurdish militant group banned by Ankara, the Interior Ministry said on November 22.

Even in the previous months, Turkey has dismissed pro-Kurdish party leaders.

Chairmen Tunceli and Ovacik were each sentenced to six years and three months in prison this week for membership in the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.

The two sacked chairmen were replaced by state-appointed administrators, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Tunceli's ousted chairman, Cevdet Konak, is a member of Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party.

The People's Party for Equality and Democracy is often targeted by authorities who accuse it of links to the PPK, which is declared a terrorist group by Ankara and its Western allies.

Ovacik's sacked mayor, Mustafa Sarigul, is affiliated with the main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), which won local elections held at the end of March.

Both Konak and Sarigul told local media on Thursday that the charges against them were baseless.

Angry protesters gathered Friday evening in front of Tunceli town hall, where some people tried to break through a police cordon, according to footage published by several local media.

In late October and early November, the pro-Kurdish mayors of three cities in Turkey's Kurdish-majority southeast, as well as the CHP chairman of an Istanbul district, were also dismissed on "terrorism" charges. Their dismissals sparked protests and were condemned by the Council of Europe and human rights organizations.

On November 22, Konak's party condemned the dismissal of the two leaders, saying that "the government is slowly destroying the will of the people."

Meanwhile, the leader of the CHP, Ozgur Ozel, condemned the decision, describing it as "theft of the will of the nation"./ REL





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