Turkish courts have sentenced three elected Kurdish mayors to prison on terrorism-related charges in separate trials, the Stockholm Center for Freedom reported, citing local media.
The mayors are Mehmet Sıddık Akış, the ousted co-mayor of Hakkari; Cevdet Konak, the co-mayor of Dersim and Mustafa Sarıgül, the mayor of Ovacık, both in Tunceli province.
While specific affiliations were not detailed, such charges often pertain to an alleged connection with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Since 1984, the PKK has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state that has killed thousands, and the PKK is formally recognized as a terrorist group by Turkey and Western allies.
Akış received a nine-year sentence for “committing crimes on behalf of a terrorist organization” and violating laws on public demonstrations.
“The referenced demonstration was an activity conducted within the scope of our party’s work,” Akış said during his hearing. “This is a political trial, far removed from legality and justice. The sole purpose was to pave the way for the appointment of a trustee in Hakkari.”
Akış was removed from office on June 3 and replaced by Governor Ali Çelik, who was appointed as a trustee. Days later, Akış was sentenced in a separate case to 19 years and six months in prison on charges of “leading an armed terrorist organization.” He denounced the government’s use of trustee appointments as “an outright seizure and a violation of law.”
Akış also criticized what he called double standards in Turkish politics, questioning why Turkish nationalist politicians were not prosecuted for similar remarks. “When we speak of the ‘isolation’ of [imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah] Öcalan, it’s considered a crime. Then why is Devlet Bahçeli [leader of the Nationalist Movement Party] not prosecuted for calling for the end of that isolation? This is blatant hypocrisy,” he said.
Bahçeli, a close ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, recently suggested during a party meeting that if Öcalan’s “isolation” were lifted, he could appear at the party group meeting of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party and declare the dissolution of the PKK, signalling an end to decades of violence.
The “isolation” of Öcalan, who has been jailed in a high-security prison on İmralı Island in the Sea of Marmara since 1999, refers in part to his inability to speak with his lawyers for years.
Konak and Sarıgül each received six years, three months for “membership in a terrorist organization.” Their defense lawyers argued the charges were baseless and politically motivated, but the court rejected their arguments.
The Turkish government has frequently removed and arrested elected mayors, particularly from pro-Kurdish parties, citing alleged links to terrorist organizations. This practice intensified following a failed coup attempt in 2016, with numerous mayors replaced by government-appointed trustees. Critics argue that these actions undermine local democracy and target political opposition.