Turkey ousts another Kurdish mayor, appoints trustee in Van Municipality

Turkish Interior Ministry has ousted Van co-Mayor Abdullah Zeydan, from the pro-Kurdish DEM Party, after he was sentenced on the charge of “aiding and propagandizing for a terrorist group.” The ministry appointed Van governor as the trustee mayor and thousands of Van people, as well as the DEM Party, protested the move. The police detained 127 people during the protest.

Sunday February 16 2025 02:40 am

Photo: Kadir Cesur (Duvar)

Duvar English

Turkish Interior Ministry on Feb. 15 appointed a trustee mayor to replace Van’s Kurdish co-Mayor Abdullah Zeydan.

The ministry cited Zeydan’s recent judicial sentence as its reason to appoint a trustee.

A Turkish court on Feb. 11 sentenced Abdullah Zeydan, the co-mayor of the eastern Van Metropolitan Municipality from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party to three years and nine months in prison on charges of "aiding a terrorist organization" and "making propaganda for a terrorist organization through media."

The DEM Party Van people were holding a vigil in the municipality since the sentence to support Zeydan.

The ministry appointed Van Governor Ozan Balcı as the trustee mayor. This is the government’s ninth removal of pro-Kurdish DEM Party mayors since the 2024 local elections.

Previously, a local election board tried to hijack Zeydan’s mayorship after the election, which was overruled by the Supreme Election Council (YSK).

The citizens and party members protested the removal of Zeydan and met by heavy police interference, Kadir Cesur from Duvar reported.

The police blockaded a group who wanted to march to protest the move, including Van co-mayors Abdullah Zeydan and Neslihan Şedal, Mardin co-Mayor Devrim Demir, DEM Party deputy parliamentary group chair Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit, Diyarbakır co-mayors Serra Bucak and Doğan Hatun, and lawmakers.

During the protest, the police detained 127 people, including Diyarbakır co-Mayor Doğan Hatun who was later released.