Co-mayor of Özalp district of Van, Handan Bağcı, deputy co-mayor Okan Bayram and Municipal Council member Kasım Hazır have been formally arrested after their detention this morning.

The three were detained in line with an objection of the prosecutor to a previous court decision, which had ruled the release of the three elected members of the DBP following their detention on October 1.

Co-mayor Handan Bağcı and deputy co-mayor Okan Bayram were detained after police forces raided the municipality building in Özalp district of Van earlier today. On the other hand, Municipal Council member Kasım Hazır was also detained in Atatürk Street on the grounds of the same objection by the prosecutor.

Despite having a medical report of disability by 70 percent, Hazır was also taken to district courthouse, from which all the three were referred to the Penal Court of First Instance.

Bağcı, Bayram and Hazır were there remanded in custody on alleged grounds of “committing crime in the name of an organisation”, “resisting an officer on duty”, “damaging public property”.

On October 1, special operation teams detained nine people, who included Özalp co-mayor Bağcı, deputy co-mayor Bayram and municipal council member Kasım, as they tried to reach the Astêco (Tepedam) neighbourhood where Turkish forces executed two HPG guerrillas, killed one civilian and wounded another.

Out of the nine, six were arrested and sent to prison on alleged grounds of “committing crime in the name of an organisation”, “resisting an officer on duty”, “damaging public property”. The other three, Bağcı, Bayram and Hazır, were later released but arrested once again today and jailed for the same charges.