Turkish authorities Friday detained four more pro-Kurdish mayors in southeastern and eastern regions of the country, local media reported.
The mayors from the People's Democratic Party (HDP), which the government accuses of links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), were detained at their homes. They were removed from office and replaced with government appointees.
The HDP has rejected the accusation.
The four mayors – Yaşar Akkuş of Idgir, Berivan Helen Işık of Siirt, Ramazan Sarsılmaz of Baykan and Bara Akgül of Kurtalan – won their respective local elections held in March 2019.
About 45 other mayors who emerged from last year’s elections have been removed from office, and 21 one them are in prison on terror-related charges.
Also, seven former HDP lawmakers, including its former chairman Selahattin Demirtas, are imprisoned.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch has criticized Turkey for such arrests, saying it constitutes a violation of voters' rights.
Turkey, as well as the United States and the European Union, consider the PKK a terrorist organization.