Turkey detains main opposition party mayor over alleged links to PKK

Ahmet Özer, the mayor of İstanbul’s Esenyurt district from Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), was detained at his home in an early morning raid on Wednesday on suspicion of membership in the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

Police reportedly forced entry into the mayor’s residence as well as the offices of the Esenyurt Municipality, which were subsequently placed under police blockade.

Özer, accused of membership in the outlawed PKK — a group designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies — is among 18 suspects detained in İstanbul and İzmir as part of a confidential investigation conducted by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Özer faces accusations of maintaining connections with the PKK over nearly a decade, according to a statement released by the prosecutor’s office. Evidence against him includes intercepted communications, surveillance records, financial transactions and alleged links to PKK leaders, including Remzi Kartal, the co-chair of the People’s Congress of Kurdistan (Kongra-Gel), who is wanted on an INTERPOL Red Notice.

Özgür Özel, leader of the CHP, took to social media to denounce Özer’s detention, calling it “unjust” and the allegations “baseless.” The CHP leader said Özer had held senior positions in public service and academia for years and had received a clearance certificate from the relevant authorities just six months ago when he ran for office.

Özer was elected in the March 31 local elections.

Esenyurt Belediye Başkanımız Prof. Dr. Ahmet Özer, bu sabaha karşı yapılan operasyonla gözaltına alındı.

Süreci yakından takip ediyorum.

Yıllarca kamuda ve akademide üst düzey görevlerde bulunmuş,

Daha altı ay önce aday olurken ilgili makamlardan temiz kağıdı almış,

Girdiği…

— Özgür Özel (@eczozgurozel) October 30, 2024

İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, also from the CHP, also slammed the mayor’s detention.

“Mr. Özer … is a respected scientist and local official. Turkey should no longer be a country where politicians and academics face early-morning home raids,” İmamoğlu said on X.

Özer, a sociologist and political scientist, had served as an advisor to İmamoğlu between 2022 and 2023.

Esenyurt Belediye Başkanımız Prof.Dr. Ahmet Özer, bu sabah gözaltına alındı. Süreci titizlikle takip ediyoruz. Devlette görev yapmış, üniversitelerde dekanlıktan rektör yardımcılığına kadar üst düzey çalışmalarda bulunmuş Sayın Özer, kıymetli bir biliminsanı ve yerel yöneticidir.…

— Ekrem İmamoğlu (@ekrem_imamoglu) October 30, 2024

The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) spokesperson Ayşegül Doğan described Özer’s detention as a “violation of the democratic will” and called for the mayor’s immediate release.

“The message behind the targeting of Ahmet Özer, elected by the will of the people, is clear. It’s obvious that the people disturbed by the Esenyurt mayor’s inclusive approach to municipal governance and his work on Kurdish identity and cultural initiatives are once again at work,” Doğan said on X.

The DEM Party supported Özer’s candidacy, helping him to get elected mayor of Esenyurt in March by garnering 49 percent of the vote. Esenyurt is Turkey’s most densely populated district where around 1 million people live.

Kent uzlaşısıyla seçilen Esenyurt Belediye Başkanı Ahmet Özer’in gözaltına alınması bir tesadüf değil. Son gelişmeleri “önyargısız değerlendirmek” için bu yöntemlerden vazgeçilmesi gerekir. Halkların iradesiyle seçilen Ahmet Özer’in hedef alınmasıyla verilmek istenen mesaj…

— ayşegül doğan (@aysegul__dogan) October 30, 2024

The detention of the mayor and others comes a week after an attack on the state-run Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) near Ankara that killed five people.

The PKK on Friday claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out by a team from the outlawed group’s “Immortals Battalion.”

The group said the attack by two PKK militants, a man and a woman, had been “planned for a long time,” denying any link to recent developments — a reference to the Turkish authorities’ apparent softening towards a negotiated solution to a decades-long conflict.

The PKK has waged an on-off insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.