Ankara removes Kurdish mayors over criticism of Syria strikes

Turkish authorities have removed five mayors in Kurdish-majority areas of south-eastern Turkey in a crackdown on domestic criticism about the country’s internationally condemned operation in northern Syria.

Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party, the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), confirmed that its co-mayors were forced to stand down in several towns in Kurdish-majority areas, and put in prison pending trial.

The towns in which they were replaced were Hakkari, Yuksekova and Nusaybin.

Turkey launched a crackdown against dissent in its majority-Kurdish areas after its assault against Kurdish-controlled parts of neighbouring Syria. Protests have been broken up with tear gas and scores of people have been arrested for criticising the military campaign online.

The HDP governs many cities in the mainly Kurdish south-east of Turkey. It typically appoints one male and one female co-mayor to promote equality.

Semire Nergiz and Ferhat Kut, co-mayors of Nusaybin, were accused of being members of a terrorist organisation and replaced by a state-appointed trustee on Friday.

Yuksekova co-mayors Remziye Yasar and Irfan Sari were jailed over their interviews, columns and social media posts.

It was not immediately clear what the Hakkari mayor, Cihan Kahraman, was accused of.

The state-owned Anadolu news agency said on Friday local administrators had been appointed to replace mayors in Yuksekova and Hakkari.

Nusaybin is a town on the Syrian border in the south-eastern Mardin province, while Hakkari and Yuksekova are situated on the border with Iran.

Nusaybin has been the target of cross-border attacks during the operation, with a mortar and rocket attack by Kurdish militants last week killing eight people and wounding 35.