Dismissed Hakkari Co-Mayor Sentenced to Over 19 Years in Prison

The dismissed co-mayor of the Kurdish-majority province of Hakkari (Colemêrg), Mehmet Sıddık Akış, has been sentenced to 19 years and six months in prison for "managing a terrorist organization" after a retrial.

Akış was removed from office by the Interior Ministry and replaced by a state-appointed trustee. A regional appeals court had previously overturned his conviction, citing procedural flaws and insufficient evidence, noting that Kurdish speech translations were not properly conducted and that the local court had failed to specify which actions constituted a crime.

The court nevertheless maintained the original sentence without addressing the evidentiary concerns raised by the appeals court. Ten other defendants were also sentenced, to terms of between six years three months and eight years nine months.

Since the 2024 local elections, in which the DEM Party won 11 city municipalities, the government has appointed trustees to six of them. Protesters gathered outside the courthouse after the ruling. (Bianet)