Statue of Türkiye’s first elected female mayor damaged

MERSİN – Demirören News Agency

The statue of Türkiye’s first female city mayor, Müfide İlhan, has been attacked and its head and hands have been stolen in the southern province of Mersin.

The assault on July 26 is the second attack to the statue erected in the Yenişehir district of the province in four months.

“During the routine controls of our personnel in the field, it was noticed that the head and two parts of the Müfide İlhan statue were cut off and stolen,” Kerem Açıkel, manager of the culture and park field department of the municipality, said.

“We experienced the same incident on March 2. In the incident, the head and hand parts of the statue were stolen once more,” he added.

According to Açıkel, “the necessary applications were made to the police and the legal process regarding the theft was initiated.”

“We will follow the case closely,” he stated.

Asking the city residents to be more sensitive about the issue and notify the staff in the park immediately if they notice or see such incidents, Açıkel promised to “restore the Müfide İlhan statue as soon as possible.”

Born in 1911 in Istanbul, İlhan made a first after becoming the mayor of Mersin in the 1950 elections.

Due to political conflicts, she left the post in December 1951. Türkiye’s first female city mayor lost her life on Feb 2, 1996, in the Aegean coastal tourism hub of Bodrum.