Dozens arrested following removal of mayors in Turkey

*Click the Title above to view complete article on https://24newshd.tv/.

2024-11-11T04:22:43+05:00 AFP

More than 30 people have been charged in Turkey for protesting the removal of three mayors, who were then replaced by government-appointed trustees, the interior ministry said Sunday.

Those detained, after the authorities sacked three mayors on "terrorism" charges, include a journalist from news website 10Haber.

His lawyer said the reporter was detained late Saturday following a series of articles on the removal of a mayor in a district of Istanbul.

Authorities allege the reporter is linked to the banned Workers Party of Kurdistan (PKK).

More than 250 people have also been detained for participating in protest rallies in mainly-Kurdish southeastern Turkey against the mayors' removal.

The ministry said 33 of those detained had been charged, while 37 have been placed under judicial surveillance, while three others face house arrest.

Monday's replacement of the mayors sparked widespread anger and brought a rebuke from Europe's top rights body, the Council of Europe, which said the move undermined local democracy."

The trio all are from the main pro-Kurdish party DEM. They were elected in March when opposition candidates won in many areas, including Istanbul.

Authorities banned rallies in several Kurdish majority provinces after the move.

Images filmed mid-week in Batman showed police officers targeted by firecrackers and dispersing demonstrators with armoured vehicles equipped with water cannons.

Ankara and its Western allies have branded the PKK a "terrorist" organisation. The group has waged a bloody guerrilla war since 1984 that has left more than 40,000 dead.

View More News