Mardin Mayor Ahmet Turk, who was arrested and sent to İstanbul’s notorious Silivri Prison on Dec 19, was transferred to a prison in Elazığ province in the early hours of Saturday morning, according to Turkish media outlets.
Türk, who was recently removed from his post by the Interior Ministry, with the government appointing a trustee to replace him, has played an active role in efforts seeking to find a solution to Turkey’s long-standing Kurdish problem.
Yet, he was arrested by a Turkish court on charges of membership in a terror organization.
The 74-year-old Kurdish politician reportedly suffers from heart disease and diabetes.
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 December arrested 11 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. (Turkey Purge)