21 August 2019
10703
2019-08-21 15:14
At least four people were detained in Istanbul on Tuesday while dozens of protesters took to the streets against the ousting of three Kurdish mayors, the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) said in a written statement. Ankara replaced three pro-Kurdish mayors with state officials on Monday and detained more than 400 people for suspected militant links in a step sharply criticized by opposition parties.
The Interior Ministry says the ousted HDP mayors of the three major cities are accused of various crimes including membership of a terrorist organization and spreading terrorist group propaganda. The HDP said the mayors' removal was a political coup and that it is a hostile stance against the political will of the Kurdish people.