The Turkish police in the southern province of Mersin have detained Hosyar Sariyildiz, the pro-Kurdish mayor of Mersin’s Akdeniz district, along with five other municipal managers on Friday. This move is part of an ongoing terrorism-related investigation.
Sariyildiz, a prominent member of the opposition DEM Party, was taken into custody together with his deputy, Nuriye Arslan, and four other assembly members. According to a police statement, the charges include “carrying out propaganda for a terrorist organization,” “membership of an armed terrorist organization,” and “violation of the law to prevent financing of terrorism.”
The DEM Party, which holds 57 seats in Turkey’s 600-seat parliament, has condemned the investigation as a fabricated attempt to justify the appointment of government trustees in Akdeniz’s local administration. “We recognize these tactics from the government’s longstanding coup practices against the people’s will,” the party stated on X.
This incident is part of a broader pattern, with numerous pro-Kurdish mayors and local administrators detained in similar operations in recent years. Typically, the government appoints trustees to these positions during legal proceedings, although no such appointment has been announced yet for Akdeniz.
The detentions are coming amid Turkey’s efforts to resolve a 40-year conflict with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has raised hopes for peace. The PKK is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union.
