Dêrsim (Tunceli) Municipality co-mayor Cevdet Konak and Pulur (Ovacık) Municipality mayor Mustafa Sarıgül were sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison for "being an illegal organisation member" on 20 November. With the verdict, the Ministry of Interior appointed trustees to the municipalities of Dêrsim under the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) administration and Pulur under the Republican People's Party (CHP) administration on 22 November. One of the grounds for the sentences given to Konak and Sarıgül was attending the funeral of HPG member Onur Şal in Dêrsim in 2012.

 

'REQUEST OF THE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE'

 

Mustafa Sarıgül, the dismissed mayor of Pulur, explained how the participation in the funeral ceremony, which led to his penalty, unfolded. Sarıgül said that at that time he was notified by the prosecutor's office for the funeral to be removed and buried. "When I was mayor here (Pulur) in 2012, we were not involved because the funeral was outside the municipality borders at that time. Afterwards, we were notified by the prosecutor's office that other public service institutions could not remove the funeral and that the funeral would be removed due to the problems experienced. We went to that funeral, which was not under our jurisdiction at that time, upon the request of the prosecutor's office. Together with us, a crowd of 5 thousand people attended the funeral. Because he was the son of a family we all knew. For this reason, an investigation was initiated starting with the funeral ceremony," he said. 

 

'REASON FOR PUNISHMENT IS TO CREATE GROUNDS FOR TRUSTEESHIP'

 

Sarıgül underlined that in addition to this funeral, the file contains secret and open witness statements, and the accusation of participating in protests and events organised in the city, and said: "The reason for the punishment was to create a ground for the trusteeship. If I had not been the mayor of Pulur, they would not have given me that penalty. But with this, they prepared a ground for the trustee.  The main purpose of giving me this penalty is; They want to show that just as trustees were appointed to DEM Party, they want to appoint trustees to other opposition parties as well."

 

'THEY WANTED TO BREAK THE PEOPLE'S RESISTANCE'

 

Emphasising that another reason for the trusteeship in Pulur was due to the mining reserves in the district, Sarıgül continued as follows: "Especially since we are at a very short distance from the Licik (İliç) district of Erzingan, if there had not been a mine explosion, they would have accelerated the mining work. They would have intervened in this way. When there was an explosion in İliç, they took this decision with a little delay. They were aiming to win the elections, and when they lose, they are trying to break the resistance of the people against the mining companies and to pull them down by withdrawing actors like us and trying to create the impression that the people are happy with this and allow it. They know that we use language that will unite the people, and they saw this as a danger."

 

MA / Şirvan Çilan Çil-Heval Önkol