News Center- The Turkish Ministry of Internal Affairs has announced that the elected Co-mayors of Kağızman from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) have been removed from office and replaced with a state-appointed trustee.

 On Monday at 2:00 AM, police entered the municipal building to give a written notice to Co-mayor Mehmet Alkan saying that he has been removed from office. The Co-mayor reportedly did not sign the notice.

Following the announcement, the members of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), who held a vigil in front of the municipality, shouted the “Qayum talan e berxwedan jiyan e (English: Trustee is plunder, resistance is life)” slogan. Co-mayors Güner Hatay and Mehmet Alkan made a short statement in front of the municipality, saying the appointment of trustee is an unlawful practice and plunder.

On February 20, 2025, Mehmet Alkan, the elected Co-mayor of Kağızman from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), was sentenced to six years and three months in prison. Following the court decision, the entry and exit to the district were banned.