Mayor of Van Bekir Kaya has attended the April meeting of the municipal council on Tuesday following a period of 11 months he has spent in prison for alleged ties with the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK) organization.

In a statement addressing to the members of the municipal council, Kaya said that “This is not the first time we have faced imprisonment in this territory. The coincidence of our release with a favorable process has given hope to us all. As we have done so far, we will be working all together in this process as well, keeping our team spirit alive while serving the people who have appointed us for management. Some of us have been put in prison but we have never lost our team spirit in our works”.

Remarking that the people on these lands have suffered great pains, deaths and bloodshed so far, Kaya pointed out that they hoped the current process on the way to a solution to the Kurdish question would end up in peace. “With the experiences and lessons taken from the past, everybody should fulfill their responsibilities for the process”, he added.

Speaking after, Van deputy mayor Sabri Abi and BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) group chair Cahit Bozbay expressed their gladness to have mayor Kaya with them again following an unfair and unlawful imprisonment he was subject to.