Prominent Kurdish politician and Co-mayor of Mardin Ahmet Türk, who has been jailed since Nov, 24, reportedly refused to be taken to a hospital for a medical examination while in handcuffs despite the existence of a serious heart condition.
Türk was arrested on charges of membership in a terrorist organization.
His party, the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), announced on Twitter on Thursday that since he was going to be taken to the hospital in handcuffs, he refused to go even though a device is inserted in his heart due to an ongoing health condition.
Türk was recently removed from his post by the Interior Ministry, with the government appointing a trustee to replace him. He has played an active role in efforts to find a solution to Turkey’s long-standing Kurdish problem.
Turkey has stepped up its crackdown on Kurdish politicians in recent months. Trustees have been appointed to dozens of municipalities in the country’s predominantly Kurdish Southeast, while Turkish courts in early November arrested 10 pro-Kurdish Peoples’Democratic Party (HDP) deputies including the party’s co-chairs.
Turkey has also arrested dozens of local Kurdish politicians on terrorism charges.
The developments have attracted widespread criticism from the region and Western countries.