Former Mardin Co-mayor Ahmet Türk, who was arrested on Dec 19 and transferred to a prison in Elazığ province on Jan. 17, was hospitalized on Wednesday as his overall physical condition is not good, his lawyer said.
Speaking with the Bianet news portal on Wednesday, Zeynep Ceren Boztoprak said Türk was taken to Fırat University’s Faculty of Medicine Hospital and underwent a physical examination.
“He has a heart problem and has a pacemaker. He also developed cataracts in prison in addition to other diseases,” she said.
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.
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.