Turkey: Mayor remanded in custody in anti-PKK probe

By Sener Toktas

BITLIS, Turkey

The mayor of Turkey's eastern Bitlis city as well as four other municipality officials were remanded in custody as part of an anti-terrorism probe Friday, a police source said.

Bitlis city Mayor Huseyin Olan from the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), Nevin Dasdemir Dagkiran, an alderwoman in the municipality, mayor of Guroymak district in Bitlis province Mehmet Emin Ozkan, his deputy Senaye Ata and the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) provincial deputy vice president Nazime Avras were all presented before a court Friday, the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

The court gave their remands following an investigation by the Bitlis Public Prosecutors' Office.

On Thursday, the suspects - accused of "being member of a terrorist organization" - were arrested as part of an anti-PKK probe, the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said.

This is the latest in a series of investigations into elected officials of Turkish municipalities.

On Nov. 17, the mayor of Tunceli, Mehmet Ali Bul, Van Mayor Bekir Kaya from the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), and four other municipality officials were arrested.

On Nov. 21, two suspended mayors, Ahmet Turk from Mardin province and Emin Irmak from the province’s Artuklu district, were detained.

Earlier this month, 13 lawmakers from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) were arrested. Ten, including co-leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, remain in custody awaiting trial on terrorism-related charges.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the EU -- resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July last year and has been responsible for the deaths of more than 1,100 security force members and civilians, including women and children.

Around 10,000 PKK terrorists have been killed or apprehended in the same period.