Mehmet Sıddık Akış, who was elected mayor of Hakkari in Turkey’s far southeast by the Kurdish nationalist DEM party in local elections held at the end of March, has been suspended from office by the country’s authorities after being detained during an investigation into his alleged links to the PKK terrorist group.
Turkish media reported that the arrest took place late yesterday when Akış was in Van, eastern Turkey, while members of the Turkish security forces carried out a search of the Hakkari town hall this morning. As part of the security measures following the mayor’s arrest, the governor of Hakkari announced a 10-day ban on protests or demonstrations in the province.
The Interior Ministry says in a statement that the investigation has proven that Akış was active in senior positions in the PKK and KCK (a parallel organisation to the PKK) structure, even collecting ‘taxes’ for the armed group through extortion and threats; the statement adds that the hitherto mayor also organised protests in favour of PKK members, and pressured citizens and organisations to participate in activities in support of the terrorists, especially in rural areas.
Akış was also in charge of ideological indoctrination of minors to become future members of the armed group, and was responsible for providing assistance and shelter to PKK members who came from rural areas to commit attacks in urban centres.
The ministry announced in the statement that the suspension of the mayor of Hakkari is a temporary measure pending the conclusion of the investigation; for the time being, the governor of Hakkari province, Ali Çelik, will act as mayor of the city. Akış was elected mayor of the city with 49% of the vote in the 31 March elections for the DEM party, the successor political formation of the HDP, as the latter faces possible closure for its links to the PKK terrorist organisation.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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