NORTH KURDISTAN, — Turkish regime has turned Turkey into the biggest prison in the world. The number of Kurdish mayors behind bars rose to thirty one on 5 April with the arrest of Karliova Mayor Ferit Çelik.
Arrests of political representatives who are charged with “having connection with a terror organization” focus mainly on the Kurdish region, particularly in Şirnex (Şirnak) where all elected representatives, except for MP Hasip Kaplan, are being held in prison.
The AKP regime which systematically prevents BDP municipalities’ projects and works puts increasing pressures on BDP municipalities before the coming 2013 municipal elections.
According to ANF data received from BDP law commission, some seven thousand active members of the BDP have been arrested since the municipal elections in 2009 within the scope of so-called “KCK” operations. Among the people arrested are also journalists, intellectuals, woman activists, union members, lawyers and students as well as six BDP deputies.
The names of jailed mayors are;
1 -Abdullah AKENGİN- Diyarbakır Dicle Mayor (Diyarbakır D Type Closed Prison)
2-Nadir BİNGÖL -Diyarbakır Ergani Mayor (Diyarbakır D Type Closed Prison)
3 -Zülküf KARATEKİN-Diyarbakır Kayapınar Mayor (Diyarbakır D Type Closed Prison)
4- Fırat ANLI -DTP Diyarbakır Yenişehir Mayor (Diyarbakır D Type Closed Prison)
5- A.Rezak YILDIZ -Şırnak Balveren Mayor (Diyarbakır D Type Closed Prison)
6 -Abit DURAK-Şırnak Kumçatı Mayor (Şırnak Closed Prison)
7- Dursun ÇAKIR-Şırnak Kumçatı Mayor (Şırnak Closed Prison)
8 -Aydın BUDAK-Şırnak Cizre Mayor (Diyarbakır D Type Closed Prison)
9- Emin TOĞURLU -Şırnak Silopi Mayor (Diyarbakır D Type Closed Prison)
10- Ramazan UYSAL -Şırnak Mayor (Diyarbakır D Type Closed Prison)
11-Resul SADAK -Şırnak İdil Mayor (Diyarbakır D Type Closed Prison)
12- Mehmet Melih OKTAY – Siirt Eruh Mayor
13 -Ahmet ERTAK-DTP Şırnak Mayor (Diyarbakır D Type Closed Prison)
14-Çağlar DEMİREL Mardin Derik Mayor (Diyarbakır D Type Closed Prison)
15- Nejdet ATALAY-Batman Mayor (Diyarbakır D Tipi Kapalı Cezaevi)
16- Hüseyin KALKAN-DTP Batman Mayor (Diyarbakır D Type Closed Prison)
17- Leyla GÜVEN-Urfa Viranşehir Mayor (Diyarbakır E Type Closed Prison)
18- Emrullah CİN -DTP Urfa Viranşehir Mayor (Diyarbakır D Type Closed Prison)
19-Etem ŞAHİN-Urfa Suruç Mayor (Urfa E Type Closed Prison)
20-Gülcihan ŞİMŞEK-DTP Van Bostaniçi Mayor (Diyarbakır E Type Closed Prison)
21-İhsan GÜLER- Van Başkale Mayor (Van F Type Prison)
22-Salih YILDIZ-DTP Hakkari Yüksekova Mayor (Diyarbakır D Type Closed Prison)
23-Ruken YETİŞKİN-BDP Hakkari Yüksekova Mayor (Bitlis E Type Prison)
24-Ferhan TÜRK-Kızıltepe Mayor (Diyarbakır D Type Closed Prison)
25-Lezgin BİNGÖL-Bitlis Hizan Kolludere Mayor (Diyarbakır D Type Closed Prison)
26-Kazım KURT-DTP Hakkari Mayor (Diyarbakır D Type Closed Prison)
27-M.Nuri GÜNEŞ -Iğdır Mayor (Erzurum H Type Prison)
28-AYHAN EKMEN-Kars/Digor Dağpınar Mayor (Erzurum E Type Prison)
29-Yusuf TEMEL-Şırnak Beytuşebbeap Mayor
30-Ahmet İNCİ -Mardin Dargeçit Kılavuz Mayor
31-Ferit Çiftçi- Karlıova Mayor (Bingöl M Type Prison)
Mayors for whom arrest warrant was issued are;
1-Yakup BUDAK-DTP Şırnak Cizre Mayor
2-Şükran SİNCAR-Şırnak Uludere Mayor
Arrested deputies are;
1-Faysal Sarıyıldız- Şırnak (Mardin E Type Closed Prison)
2-Selma Irmak-Şırnak (Diyarbakır E Type Closed Prison)
3-Güleser Yıldırı-Mardin (Mardin E Type Closed Prison)
4-Hatip Dicle-Diyarbakır (Diyarbakır E Type Closed Prison)
5-Kemal Aktaş-Van (Diyarbakır D Type Closed Prison)
6-İbrahim Ayhan-Urfa (Urfa D Type Closed Prison)