Six more detained over ‘self-governance’ calls in Turkey’s southeast

VAN - Anadolu Agency

DHA File Photo

Six more people were detained in southeastern Turkey on Jan. 14 on charges of “disrupting the unity and territorial integrity of the state.”The charges focus on alleged calls for “self-governance” in certain districts, according to police sources.Police staged simultaneous operations in the southeastern province of Van’s Erciş district as part of an investigation into comments made during a press conference in October 2015.Six people - including the former provincial co-chair of the Democratic Regions’ Party (DBP), Munir Aras - were detained on charges of “disrupting the unity and territorial integrity of the state.”Previously, prosecutors in the nearby Mardin province demanded life sentences for eight people, including the co-mayor of the Nusaybin district Sara Kaya, who were accused of declaring self-government in late August.Self-governing areas were also declared in Nusaybin as well as towns across the provinces of Şırnak, Hakkari and Muş.On Aug. 12, the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) issued a call to form “people’s assemblies” in parts of Turkey’s southeast, saying they “would not recognize state institutions and would form their own self-governance.”On Aug. 19, seven people, including Sur co-mayor Seyid Narin and Silvan co-mayor Yüksel Bodakçı, were detained on similar “autonomy” claims and then removed from their posts.