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November 20, 2024 – 16:05
Ankara, Nov 20 (EFE).- Two mayors of the province of Tunceli in eastern Turkey were sentenced this Wednesday to six years in prison for alleged links with the Kurdish guerrilla, a sentence that has yet to be reviewed by the Supreme Court. .
A court in Tunceli, the provincial capital of the province of the same name, sentenced Cevdet Konak, mayor of the city of 40,000 inhabitants, affiliated with the leftist DEM party, known for its stance in favor of the rights of the population, to 6 years and 3 months. Kurdish, reports the Turkish Anadolu agency.
The same sentence was received by Mustafa Sarigül, councilor of the municipality of Ovacik, with 7,000 inhabitants, in the same province, and a member of the social democratic CHP party, the largest opposition party in Turkey.
Both were found guilty of “membership in an armed gang”, a reference to the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Turkey’s Kurdish guerrilla group, considered terrorist by both Ankara and the European Union.
Tunceli, a mountainous province of about 90,000 inhabitants, has a significant Kurdish and Zaza population and a strong leftist tradition, with Ovacik known for years to be the only Turkish municipality with a communist mayor.
The sentences, which must be reviewed by the Supreme Court, are not final yet, but the court has prohibited both mayors from leaving the country until then.
At the beginning of November, four other mayors – three from the DEM and one from the CHP – had been sentenced to prison terms for alleged links with the PKK, and although their sentences are not yet final, they were immediately dismissed by the Ministry of the Interior, which The mayors intervened and appointed central government officials as substitutes.
This decision, also adopted in previous legislatures against Kurdish mayors of the DEM (formerly HDP), caused enormous protests in recent weeks, and protests have also been called in Tunceli, although at the moment no order has been given to dismiss the councilors. EFE
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On Kurdish politicians may also serve to rally support for the ruling party among nationalist voters, which complicates any potential for dialogue or reconciliation. The situation remains tense, and without significant pressure from both domestic and international communities, I don’t expect any major shifts in policy regarding Kurdish rights or representation.
Editor: Good afternoon, thank you for joining us today. I’m pleased to introduce our first guest, Mr. Halil Sağlam from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and the mayor of the city of Şanlıurfa. And our second guest is Mr. Kutluhan Akçay, a political analyst and expert in Turkish politics.
We will be discussing the recent developments in Turkish politics, specifically the arrest and subsequent sentencing of two mayors from the predominantly Kurdish province of Tunceli. The first guest you’ve heard from is Mr. Sağlam.
Mr. Sağlam, can you provide us with some context on the political atmosphere in Tunceli and the overall treatment of Kurdish politicians in Turkey?
Guest 1: Thank you, Editor. Certainly, there is a long history of political repression against Kurdish politicians in Turkey, particularly those affiliated with the HDP. The Turkish government has attempted to silence our voices and suppress our demands for greater cultural and political recognition for the Kurdish people. The events in Tunceli are just one example of this broader pattern of oppression.
As for Tunceli itself, it is a province with a significant Kurdish population and a strong leftist tradition. The recent sentencing of these two mayors, one from the HDP and the other from the CHP, is part of an ongoing effort by the government to suppress dissent and consolidate power.
Editor: Thank you for that insight. Mr. Akçay, as an expert on Turkish politics, how do you see these events unfolding? Do you foresee a change in the government’s approach towards Kurdish politicians and their demands for recognition?
Guest 2: It is difficult to predict the future, but it does not seem likely that the government’s approach will change anytime soon. In fact, we have seen a tightening of the State’s grip on opposition parties, including the HDP and the CHP, since President Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost its parliamentary majority in the last general election. The government has been increasingly targeting opposition leaders and activists, particularly those from the Kurdish minority.
Furthermore, the recent crackdown
