Hoşyar Sarıyıldız and Nuriye Aslan, Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party co-mayors of the Akdeniz Municipality in Mersin, were detained along with several council members in an early morning police operation on Friday. Police reportedly announced that a trustee had been appointed to the municipality, a move condemned by party representatives as a “seizure of the democratic will”.
In a series of coordinated raids, Sarıyıldız and Aslan were taken into custody along with DEM Party councillors Özgür Çağlar, Neslihan Oruç, Yakup Danış and Hikmet Bakırhan. The arrests were part of an investigation launched by the Mersin Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
According to state-owned news agency Anadolu, the investigation includes allegations of ‘propaganda for a terrorist organisation’, ‘membership of an armed terrorist group’, ‘violations of the law on the prevention of the financing of terrorism’ and ‘violations of the law on demonstrations’.
Akdeniz Belediye Eşbaşkanlarımız Hoşyar Sarıyıldız ve Nuriye Arslan ile Meclis üyelerimiz siyasi kumpasla gözaltına alındı.
Mersin’in huzuru yine kayyımla bozulmaya çalışılıyor. Bu irade gaspı girişimini Mersin kabul etmeyecektir.
Başta Mersin’in seçilmişleri olmak üzere tüm… pic.twitter.com/aLNp5rlyvq
— Ali Bozan (@avalibozan) January 10, 2025
Ali Bozan, a DEM Party MP from Mersin, reported that police blocked his entry to the municipality and informed him of the appointment of a trustee. Bozan criticised the move, saying, “This is a direct attack on the democratic decisions of the people of Mersin.”
The appointment of trustees is a controversial practice in Turkey, often used to replace elected officials accused of links to terrorism. Critics argue that these moves undermine local democracy and disenfranchise voters.
