Removal of Kurdish mayors in Turkey ‘politically motivated’: EU

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The European External Action Service (EEAS) said Monday that the recent dismissal of five mayors belonging to the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in southeast Turkey “appear to be politically motivated.”

Turkish authorities on Friday removed from office and detained mayors in Igdir, Siirt, Baykan, Kurtalan, and Altinova for alleged relations with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in yet another wave of a government crackdown on party officials.   

“Decisions and actions taken by the Turkish authorities against municipalities with mayors from opposition parties remain of deep concern, in particular when they appear to be politically motivated,” read a statement from EEAS spokesperson Peter Stano.

“This is notably the case of the recent suspension of five more mayors in the south-east of the country and their replacement with trustees,” it added, referring to pro-government officials who act as interim mayors after the removal of elected HDP officials.  

The HDP is accused by Ankara of being the political wing of the PKK, which has been involved in a decades-long conflict with the Turkish state in pursuit of cultural and political rights for Kurds in the country. 

The PKK is regarded as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies. 

The HDP has denied organic links to the Kurdish rebels. However, unlike other parties, it does not view the PKK as a terrorist organization and has expressed its respect for the ideology of jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. 

The EEAS, which manages the EU’s diplomatic relations with other states, also said that “while the Turkish government has a legitimate right to fight terrorism, it is also responsible for ensuring this is done in accordance with the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms, enshrined in its Constitution and Turkey’s international commitments. It should not be done for political reasons, applying broad anti-terror or criminal legislation.”

An official from the Council of Europe also condemned the ongoing crackdown, describing it as "a serious and permanent threat to the proper functioning of local democracy in Turkey."

Some of the dismissed HDP mayors have been accused of using their municipality budgets to assist the PKK, claims all of them have denied. 

The HDP won 65 of over a thousand municipalities in the March 2019 local elections, but six mayor-elects were banned from taking up office on the grounds that they had been previously dismissed by the government.  

According to official party data sent to Rudaw English last Friday, 44 of the 59 HDP mayors have now been dismissed - leaving only 15 of its mayors in office before the dismissal of Altinova's mayor later that day.

A HDP deputy, who did not want to be named, told Rudaw English that they expect their mayor in Mus to soon be removed from their position, according to reports the party has received from its members. 

Updated 4:04pm