DEM Party co-mayors detained in Mersin

MERSIN

The co-mayors of the southern city of Mersin's Akdeniz district, Hoşyar Sarıyıldız and Nuriye Arslan of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), were detained on Dec. 10 as part of a terrorism-related investigation.

DEM Party municipal council members Özgür Çağlar, Neslihan Oruç, Yakup Danış and Hikmet Bakırhan were also taken into custody.

The investigation led by the chief public prosecutor's office in Mersin alleges the group engaged in terrorist propaganda, membership in an armed terrorist organization, violation of anti-terror financing laws and breaches of the law on demonstration marches.

The police secured the Akdeniz Municipality building with riot police cars and water cannon vehicles, heightening security around the premises.

DEM Party claimed in a written statement that trustees were appointed to replace the detained co-mayors, although no official announcement was immediately made.

"The government that cannot tolerate the will of the people is doomed to lose even more no matter what it does," read the statement. "We will continue to stand against this trustee mentality everywhere and defend the will of our people."

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) spokesperson Deniz Yücel also criticized the detentions on social media.

"Another one has been added to the [ruling Justice and Development Party] AKP's anti-democratic trustee practices," Yücel wrote on X. "A mentality that is so afraid of democracy, the ballot box and the will of the people cannot govern this country."

In November last year, mayors from the DEM Party in Mardin, Batman and Halfeti were removed from office.

The Interior Ministry cited previous convictions and ongoing trials for membership in an armed terrorist organization as the basis for their dismissal.

Earlier, on Oct. 30, CHP's Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer was arrested on charges of "being a member of the PKK/KCK terrorist organization."

Moreover, DEM Party's Tunceli Mayor Cevdet Konak and CHP's Ovacık Mayor Mustafa Sarıgül were both removed from office.

They were sentenced to six years and three months in prison on charges of being members of an armed terrorist organization, leading to trustee appointments in their municipalities.