The Turkish government has dismissed three Kurdish mayors in southeastern Turkey on terrorism-related charges, according to an announcement by the Interior Ministry. Mayors from the cities of Mardin, Batman, and the Halfeti district in Sanliurfa were removed from office and replaced with government-appointed trustees. All three officials are members of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), which has faced increasing scrutiny from the government.

The dismissed mayors include Ahmet Turk of Mardin, a seasoned Kurdish politician, Gulistan Sonuk of Batman, and Mehmet Karayilan of Halfeti. Turk, who received a ten-year prison sentence in March in connection with the Kobane trials, expressed defiance on social media, writing, “Never give up. We will not step back from the struggle for democracy, peace, and freedom. We will not allow the usurpation of the people’s will.”

Both Sonuk and Karayilan have been charged with “membership in a terrorist organization,” referring to alleged links with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an armed Kurdish group that Turkey considers a terrorist organization. The government has recently intensified its crackdown on the DEM Party, mirroring its previous actions against pro-Kurdish politicians in Turkey.

This follows the June removal of Mehmet Siddik Akis, the DEM mayor of Hakkari (Colemerg), who received a 19.5-year prison sentence for alleged PKK ties. Like the latest dismissals, Akis was also replaced by a state-appointed trustee.

Since 2016, Turkey has removed dozens of mayors from pro-Kurdish parties and replaced them with government-appointed officials under similar terrorism-related charges, often resulting in lengthy prison sentences for those removed. The DEM Party and its predecessor, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), have consistently denied any links to the PKK, asserting that they are simply advocating for Kurdish rights.

In a related development, Ahmet Ozer, the Kurdish mayor of Esenyurt in Istanbul from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), was arrested last Wednesday on allegations of PKK connections and replaced by a trustee. Over the past decade, thousands of pro-Kurdish politicians, particularly from the DEM Party and the HDP, have been imprisoned on charges related to the PKK, with many still in custody.

The DEM Party achieved notable victories in the March elections, winning key provinces including Diyarbakir, Mardin, Batman, and Hakkari. Many of these provinces were previously held by HDP before their mayors were removed under similar accusations in 2019.