ANKARA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Turkish authorities on Monday arrested the pro-Kurdish DEM Party Mayor Hosyar Sariyildiz and four municipal council members from the Akdeniz district of southern Mersin province on terrorism charges and appointed a trustee, the interior ministry said.

In a statement, the ministry said that Zeyit Sener, the district governor of Akdeniz, will be the acting mayor.

Mayor Sariyildiz, Deputy Mayor and Council Member Nuriye Arslan, and DEM Party council members Ozgur Caglar, Neslihan Oruc, Yakup Danis and Hikmet Bakirhan were detained on Friday following an investigation conducted by the Mersin Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

After interrogations, Sariyildiz, Arslan, Caglar, Oruc and Bakirhan were arrested. Meanwhile, Yakup Danis was released under judicial control measures.

They are accused of violating laws concerning terrorism financing and public assembly.

In November, trustees were appointed to replace DEM Party mayors in Mardin Metropolitan Municipality, Batman Municipality, and Sanliurfa's Halfeti District over similar accusations of affiliation with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The DEM Party, which holds 57 parliamentary seats, has consistently denied the allegations, asserting that the charges are politically motivated attempts to suppress opposition voices.

The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has been engaged in armed rebellion against the Turkish government for four decades. Enditem

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