October 31, 2016•Update: November 01, 2016
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey
A local court remanded the mayor of this southeastern province late Sunday as part of an investigation into terrorism, judicial sources said.
A few hours before Gulten Kisanak was remanded, the same court also remanded Democratic Regions Party Counselor Firat Anli in connection with the same terrorism investigation.
On Oct. 25, Kisanak, a member of the pro-PKK Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), and another local elected official were taken into custody by police from the Diyarbakir Security Directorate.
The Chief Prosecutor's Office in Diyarbakir said in a statement that the mayor was arrested for being a member of an armed terrorist group.
"It has been understood that Gulten Kisanak called for autonomy and made remarks that are pro-terrorist organization during Nevruz activities that were organized as directed by the PKK terrorist group," the statement said.
It also said assigned municipality vehicles to help build a so-called cemetery for terrorist PKK members in 2014, after an attack martyred a Turkish soldier.
The PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU – resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July last year. Since then, PKK terrorist attacks have martyred more than 700 security personnel and also claimed the lives of many civilians, including women and children, while more than 8,000 PKK terrorists were killed in military operations.
Reporting by Aziz Aslan; Writing by Burcu Arik
