Kurdish mayor held on separatist charges

A Kurdish mayor was accused of belonging to an armed separatist group and detained by a Turkish court, television channels reported Sunday.

June 11, 2012

Talat Zaki Hafiz



ISTANBUL — A Kurdish mayor was accused of belonging to an armed separatist group and detained by a Turkish court, television channels reported Sunday. Bekir Kaya, the mayor of the southeastern Turkish city of Van, and two provincial leaders in the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) were remanded in custody pending trial late on Saturday, CNN Turk said. Two other BDP officials were charged and released, it added. The arrests were the latest carried out during an investigation into the Union of Kurdistan Communities (KCK), which Turkish authorities say is the urban wing of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the US, has waged a 27-year armed campaign against the Turkish military. — Reuters


June 11, 2012
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