Turkey removes three pro-Kurdish mayors, appoints trustees amid political tensions
In an apparent preemptive measure to prevent potential public unrest, the Mardin governorate has imposed a 10-day ban on all forms of civil activities and demonstrations throughout the province.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Turkey's Interior Ministry has removed three municipality mayors in the predominantly Kurdish-populated southeastern provinces and replaced them with government-appointed trustees, while implementing a 10-day ban on civil activities in the affected regions.
According to a ministry statement, Ahmet Turk, the mayor of Mardin, has been dismissed from his position following allegations and a prison sentence for "membership in an armed terrorist organization."
Tuncay Akkoyun, the acting governor of Mardin, has been appointed as trustee to manage the municipality.
In similar actions, the ministry removed Gulistan Sonuk from her position as Batman's mayor, replacing her with acting governor Ekrem Canalp, who will now serve dual roles as both governor and municipal trustee.
In Halfeti, district governor Hakan Basoglu has been appointed by the Sanliurfa governorate to replace Mayor Mehmet Karayılan.
In an apparent preemptive measure to prevent potential public unrest, the Mardin governorate has imposed a 10-day ban on all forms of civil activities and demonstrations throughout the province.
This intervention in local governance follows a pattern of similar actions by Turkish authorities against municipalities led by pro-Kurdish politicians.
The practice of appointing trustees (kayyum) to replace elected mayors has been a controversial aspect of Turkey's domestic policy, particularly in the southeastern regions where the Kurdish population is concentrated.
Critics view these moves as part of broader restrictions on Kurdish political representation, while the government maintains they are necessary security measures.
The removed mayors were elected through democratic processes, and their dismissal represents a significant development in the ongoing tensions between Turkey's central government and Kurdish political movements.
International observers and human rights organizations have frequently expressed concern about such administrative interventions in local democracy.