Birsen Orhan, the former co-mayor of Tunceli from the pro-Kurdish People’s Equality and Democracy party (DEM Party), was taken into custody early Thursday, the Deutsche Welle Turkish service reported.
Orhan was detained due to allegedly “violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations” and “resisting officials to prevent them from performing their duty.”
Orhan’s detention was condemned by her party, which described it as an attempt to silence her criticism of the appointment of trustees.
“Our Co-mayor Birsen Orhan has been unlawfully detained for speaking the truth. We repeat her words: You will be defeated!” the DEM Party said on the social media platform X.
Orhan’s detention follows a trustee appointment by the Ministry of the Interior to the DEM Party-led Tunceli Municipality on November 22. The move, which has been used to replace elected officials with government appointees, sparked protests across the region. Orhan was previously detained on allegations of “inciting the public to commit crimes” during the demonstrations and was placed under house arrest on November 24 by a local court.
The trustee appointments in Tunceli followed the sentencing of Tunceli Mayor Cevdet Konak and Ovacık Mayor Mustafa Sarıgül to six years, three months in prison for alleged membership in the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK). The Ministry of the Interior cited these convictions as grounds for its decision.
The PKK has been designated a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies. It has conducted an armed insurgency since the 1980s, advocating for Kurdish rights and autonomy. The KCK is an umbrella group associated with the PKK, overseeing its political and military structures.
In response to the trustee appointment, the Tunceli Governor’s Office banned public gatherings, marches and press statements in open spaces until December 1. Despite the ban, protests erupted in the city, during which Orhan made public statements criticizing the ministry’s actions.
The Turkish government has frequently removed and arrested elected mayors, particularly from pro-Kurdish parties, citing alleged links to terrorist organizations. This practice intensified following a failed coup attempt in 2016, with numerous mayors replaced by government-appointed trustees. Critics argue that these actions undermine local democracy and target political opposition.
In recent weeks, three opposition mayors in eastern Turkey were removed from office after being convicted of “terrorism.” The mayors of Tunceli and Ovacık, Cevdet Konak and Mustafa Sarıgül, were each sentenced to six years, three months in prison for membership in the PKK. Bahçesaray Co-mayor Ayvaz Hazır was also sentenced to over three years in prison for “committing a crime on behalf of a terrorist organization” and removed from office on Friday.
