STORY: Türkiye detains pro-Kurdish mayor and five council members
SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 10, 2025
DATELINE: Jan. 10, 2025
LENGTH: 00:01:15
LOCATION: Ankara
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of a photo of pro-Kurdish DEM Party Mayor Hosyar Sariyildiz and Deputy Mayor Nuriye Aslan (Courtesy of Ihlas News Agency)
2. various of Turkish police in front of the municipality of the Akdeniz district of southern Mersin province in Türkiye (Courtesy of Ihlas News Agency)

STORYLINE:

Turkish authorities have detained the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party mayor Hosyar Sariyildiz and five municipal council members from the Akdeniz district of southern Mersin province on terrorism charges, the semi-official Anadolu Agency reported on Friday.
   
According to the agency, the charges against the detainees include "membership in an armed terrorist organization," "propaganda for a terrorist organization" and "violations of laws concerning terrorism financing and public assembly." Following the arrests, police secured the municipality building.
   
These detentions follow recent government actions targeting pro-Kurdish mayors. In November, trustees were appointed to replace DEM Party mayors in Mardin Metropolitan Municipality, Batman Municipality, and Sanliurfa's Halfeti District Municipality over similar accusations of affiliation with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
   
The DEM Party, which holds 57 seats in parliament, has consistently denied the allegations, asserting that the charges are politically motivated attempts to suppress opposition voices.
   
The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has been engaged in armed rebellion against the Turkish government for four decades.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ankara.
(XHTV)