State seeks up to 230 years for ex-Diyarbakir mayor

By Aziz Aslan

DIYARBAKIR

Turkish prosecutors Tuesday pushed for up to 230 years in prison for Diyarbakir's ousted mayor as part of its anti-terrorism efforts, according to judicial sources.

According to the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media, the Diyarbakir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office demanded a prison sentence ranging from nearly 58 years to over 230 years for Gultan Kisanak.

In the indictment, Kisanak was accused of being an “executive” of an armed terrorist group (the PKK), spreading terrorist propaganda multiple times, and attending illegal rallies and marches despite orders to disperse.

On Oct. 31, Kisanak was remanded as part of an investigation into terrorism, and trustees were appointed to replace her as mayor of Diyarbakir in Turkey’s southeast.

Earlier this month, 13 lawmakers from the opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) were arrested. Ten, including co-leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, are in custody awaiting trial on charges related to support for the terrorist PKK.

The PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU – resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July 2015 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.