Young people have been resisting the trustee coup in Mersin's Akdeniz Municipality for 9 days. Taking to the streets in the Yenipazar and Demirtaş neighborhoods, the youths lit fires on Friday night.

Young people responded to the police attack with fireworks, Molotov cocktails and sound bombs.

The protest continued until late at night.

Background

Akdeniz Municipality co-mayors Hoşyar Sarıyıldız and Nuriye Aslan, and City Council members Özgür Çağlar, Neslihan Oruç, Yakup Danış and Hikmet Bakırhan, were taken into custody in Mersin on 10 January.

On 13 January, the prosecutor's office referred co-mayors Hoşyar Sarıyıldız and Nuriye Arslan, and City Council member Özgür Çağlar to the judgeship on charges of "membership in an illegal organization", "providing financing for an illegal organization", "propaganda for an illegal organization" and "opposition to Article 2911", citing secret witness testimonies. He requested them to be sent to prison. For the other council members, the prosecutor requested arrest on charges of "membership in an illegal organization". The Criminal Court of Peace on Duty issued arrest warrants for Sarıyıldız and Arslan as well as Çağlar, Bakırhan and Oruç. Danış was released on probation.