Ankara launches legal action against pro-Kurdish DEM Party leader

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Turkish interior ministry on Thursday initiated a legal procedure against the co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) following his remarks during an event protesting the recent removal of three mayors from the party.

The ministry said in a statement that the legal procedures will target Tuncer Bakirhan for his comments during the party’s group meeting in Mardin earlier this week. 

Bakirhan and other party officials slammed the government in protest on Tuesday for sacking DEM Party mayors in Mardin and Batman (Elih) and Halfetifor their alleged links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Government-linked administrators (trustees) were appointed to replace the elected officials. 

The ministy did not elaborate what comments by Bakirhan triggered the legal steps. 

Aysegul Dogan, DEM Party spokesperson, told reporters later on Thursday that the party co-chair is being targeted by the ministry for preferring democracy to the appointment of trustees and the “people’s will to coup.” 

The removal of Kurdish mayors and their replacement with trustees - in most cases governors of the affected cities -  is nothing new in Turkey. Ankara has sacked dozens of mayors from the DEM Party and other pro-Kurdish parties in the last decade, in addition to putting many behind bars for alleged PKK ties. 

Monday’s decision coincided with the eighth anniversary of the mass detention of Kurdish politicians, including Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, the former co-chairs of DEM Party’s sister party, Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), for similar charges. Most of the top leaders remain behind bars despite international pressure.  

Bakirhan told supporters during the group meeting on Tuesday by sacking the three mayors during the anniversary of the 2016 raids that Ankara “wants to give the message that it will continue the political coup.”

The Kurdish politician has parliamentary immunity but is unable to shield himself from the government’s legal actions. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) with the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) control the legislature and could easily revoke the parliamentary immunity of dissident legislators. 

The Turkish interior ministry noted in the Thursday statement that it was also taking legal steps against Mehmet Mihdi Tunc, head of DEM Party’s office in Mardin, for the same reason. 

There have been violent protests this week in Elih province against the dismissal of the three mayors. 

Hopes of a renewed drive for peace in the country were boosted in October with ultranationalist MHP leader Devlet Bahceli shaking hands with members of the DEM Party in the legislature. Bahceli also proposed inviting jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan to address the Turkish parliament and declare the dissolution of the group - considered by Ankara to be a terror organization. Bahceli reiterated the proposal on Tuesday. 

A short-lived peace process between Turkey and the PKK in 2013 granted Kurds some rights which were previously seen as taboo, such as elective Kurdish courses at schools. Kurds have been culturally, politically, and economically repressed in Turkey for decades.