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full screen Turkey flag. Archive image. Photo: Burhan Ozbilici/AP/TT
Two mayors in eastern Turkey have been deposed after being convicted of terrorism for belonging to the outlawed PKK, the country’s interior minister announced.
The mayor of Tunceli and the mayor of Ovacik were both sentenced earlier this week to six years and three months in prison for being members of the terrorist-labeled Kurdish PKK.
Both have been replaced by state-appointed administrators, the Interior Department said in a statement.
One of the mayors belongs to the main pro-Kurdish party DEM, which the authorities regularly accuse of having links to the PKK.
Earlier this fall, three Kurdish mayors were fired by the government in Ankara, accused of having links to terrorism. It led to demonstrations, and human rights organizations and the Council of Europe condemned the ouster.