Kurdish politician Ahmet Türk acquitted in case that led to his removal from office as mayor

A court has acquitted veteran Kurdish politician Ahmet Türk in a case that had previously led to his removal from office as the mayor of the Mardin city.

Türk was on trial for “making propaganda for a terrorist organization,” a charge that was also cited by the Interior Ministry when it suspended him from his post on Nov 4. Türk had won the mayoral race in Mardin running as the candidate of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party in the Mar 2024 local elections.

The final hearing in the case was held today at the Ankara 14th Heavy Penal Court, where Türk appeared in person, Mezopotamya Agency (MA) reported. The case was based on a speech he gave in 2011 regarding extrajudicial killings during the conflict-ridden 1990s. Prosecutors filed the indictment in 2022, claiming his remarks constituted “terrorist propaganda.”

Türk’s attorneys, Erdal Kuzu and Tahar Erdem, attended the hearing via video link from the Mardin Courthouse. The prosecutor requested a conviction, but Kuzu argued that the case lacked legal basis.

The lawyer noted that the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Siirt had previously issued a non-prosecution decision in 2014 for the same incident. Kuzu described the Ankara Prosecutor’s Office for ignoring that decision and filing a new indictment as unlawful.

After hearing the arguments, the court ruled that Türk’s statements fell within the bounds of freedom of expression and concluded that the elements of the alleged crime had not been established. Türk was acquitted of all charges.

Trustee policy

Since the 2024 local elections, in which the DEM Party won 11 metropolitan municipalities, the government has appointed trustees to take over six of them, citing legal proceedings or investigations against the elected mayors. Several district mayors from DEM have also been suspended on similar grounds.

Over the past decade, DEM and its predecessors have been subject to similar policies, with elected officials frequently removed from office over terrorism-related charges. Turkish law allows the Interior Ministry to temporarily suspend local officials under investigation or prosecution. However, this has often translated into permanent dismissals in practice.

However, the ongoing Kurdish peace process may signal a change in this policy. In May, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan suggested that the government could end its practice of taking over municipalities after the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced its dissolution.

Also, Erdoğan’s ally Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), specifically demanded Türk’s reinstatement in a speech last month.

(AB/VK)