The Turkish regime’s political genocide campaign against the Kurdish people and their elected representatives continues unabated.

On 22 November, the AKP-MHP regime usurped the municipality of Dersim under the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) by appointing a trustee in the place of the democratically elected co-mayors, Cevdet Konak and Birsen Orhan. Both mayors were then removed from office and replaced by a trustee, Tunceli Governor Bülent Tekbıyıkoğlu, following an instruction from the Ministry of Interior. The reason given for the usurpation is a not yet legally binding prison sentence against co-mayor Cevdet Konak for alleged membership of a ‘terrorist organisation’.

Two days later, co-mayor Birsen Orhan was taken into custody and then placed under house arrest and banned from leaving the country.

The Kurdish politician for the DEM Party was taken into custody in her house in the district of Pertek this morning.

She was then referred to Tunceli Courthouse and gave a statement to the prosecutor, who demanded her arrest on the charges of ‘violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations’ and ‘resisting public officials to prevent the execution of duty’.

Later in the day, the Kurdish politician was remanded in custody.

Birsen Orhan's lawyer, Kenan Çetin, said, “This is the first time I have witnessed the imprisonment of a person under house arrest for violating Law No. 2911. In our opinion, there were no conditions for arrest in the case, nor for house arrest even.”

Pointing out that the accusation against his client was ‘resisting the police’, lawyer Çetin said, “What we as lawyers witnessed is that barriers are what ‘public officials’ here refer to. A barrier is not a public official. Therefore, this decision is meaningless. The decision is against the law. Although the related decisions of the Court of Cassation and the Constitutional Court were also presented, such a decision was made. This decision is unlawful.”