Kurdish DBP to turn party buildings into municipalities

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Kurdistan24) – The co-chair of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Sebahat Tuncel on Saturday called on the staff of her party’s government-seized municipalities to resume working at DBP buildings.

Kurdistan24’s bureau in Diyarbakir was present where Tuncel gave a press conference in the Kurdish city addressing the recent events.

The DBP co-chair said the trustees appointed by Turkey’s Interior Ministry to over a dozen municipalities did not reflect the people’s will and represented “putschists.”

Last week Turkey seized the administration of 28 municipalities, 24 of them DBP-held, alleging they had been aiding “terror” groups, including the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

“The co-mayors elected by our people are on duty. They [Turkish government] may have usurped our municipality buildings, but our mayors will continue solving our citizens’ problems,” Tuncel stated.

The co-chair also invited the ousted mayors to DBP party buildings in their respective towns and cities.

A dozen Kurdish mayors had already been forced out of their offices and remain in detention across Turkey.

Labeling Turkey a police state, Tuncel said Kurdish people’s elective rights were violated by government decrees.

VIOLENCE RAGES ON

In the meantime, fighting between the Turkish army and Kurdish PKK members continued on Saturday.

According to the semi-official Turkish Anadolu Agency, five Kurdish fighters, and three Turkish soldiers were killed in clashes.

The fighting took place in a mountainous area of the Hakkari Province on the border with the Kurdistan Region.

The clashes also wounded three other Turkish troops.

Moreover, Turkish forces in the area launched a larger ground and aerial operation in pursuit of Kurdish fighters after the midday violence.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany

(Reporting by Ari Khalidi)