Adnan Selçuk Mızraklı (born in Siverek, 1963) is a Kurdish politician of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and former member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and Mayor of Diyarbakir.
Adnan Selçuk Mizraklı | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mayor of Diyarbakır | |
| In office 31 March 2019 – 19 August 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Cumali Atilla |
| Succeeded by | Hasan Basri Güzeloğlu |
| Member of the Grand National Assembly | |
| In office 24 June 2018 – 31 March 2019 | |
| Constituency | Diyarbakır (2018) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1963 Siverek, Şanliurfa Province, Turkey |
| Political party | Peoples' Democratic Party |
| Occupation | Surgeon, politician |
Early life and education
editWhen Mızraklı was three years old his family moved to Eskişehir due to his father's work.[1] He attended the primary and secondary school in Eskişehir.[1] After completing his studies at the faculty of medicine he began working as a doctor in Diyarbakir in 1991.[1] He worked as a surgeon and was involved in the Medical Chamber.[1] He was also active in the Democratic Society Congress (DTK) since 2000.[1] Due this his involvement in the DTK he was arrested for 2 months in 2017.[1]
Political career
editIn the General Elections of the 24 June 2018 he was elected to represent Diyarbakir as an MP.[2] In the Municipal election of the 31 March 2019 he was elected as Mayor of Diyarbakir with 62.93% of the votes.[3] He became well known amongst the opposition as he made public a luxury suite in Diyarbakir Municipality which was built before he took office.[4] Due to political pressure, he was dismissed as the Mayor of Diyarbakir on 19 August 2019.[5] The population of Diyarbakir protested for weeks against this decision.[6]
Legal prosecution
edit
Mızraklı was detained on the 21 October 2019 and charged with being a member of terror organization.[7] The prosecution alleged that Mizrakli had attended funerals of PKK members[8] and that he shall have performed surgery for an alleged member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).[9] Human Rights Watch stated that "the evidence in an indictment against him does not support the charge that he was involved with terrorism or committed crimes."[10] On the 9 March 2020 he was sentenced to 9 years and 4 months imprisonment for membership in a terror organization.[11] He was accused of terror propaganda since April 2020 in an additional case.[12] In that case, the prosecution saw his participation in meetings organized by the HDP or his activism against the execution of Ramin Hossein-Penahi in Iran as terror propaganda.[12] In September 2021 he was acquitted.[12]
Detention conditions
editInitially being detained in a prison in Diyarbakir, he was transferred away of his hometown from the prison in Diyarbakir in Southeast Anatolia to a prison facility in Kayseri in central Anatolia.[13] He is one of several elected mayors of the HDP, currently in detention in Turkey.[14][12] In February 2022 and at his own request, he was transferred to the F-type prison in Edirne, the same prison in which Selahattin Demirtaş is imprisoned.[15]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "A doctor in Amed enters Parliament for the HDP". Firat News Agency. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
- ^ "Diyarbakır Seçim Sonuçları - 24 Haziran 2018 Genel Seçimleri". Sabah. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
- ^ "Adnan Selçuk Mızraklı Diyarbakır Büyükşehir Belediye Seçim Sonuçları - Adnan Selçuk Mızraklı Seçim Sonuçları". secim.haberler.com (in Turkish). Retrieved 2019-10-21.
- ^ Wilks, Andy (29 August 2019). "Sacked Turkish mayors hit back over 'political' move". The National. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
- ^ Ötztal, Umit (2019-08-20). "Turkey ousts three Kurdish mayors for suspected militant links, launches security operation". Reuters. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ^ "Protests Continue Against Mayor Dismissals". Bianet. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ^ "3 HDP Diyarbakır Co-Mayors Detained". Bianet. 21 October 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
- ^ "Turkey Jails Kurdish ex-Mayor on Terror Conviction | Voice of America - English". Voice of America. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
- ^ "Attorney of Selçuk Mızraklı: Lie of the Witness Revealed". Bianet. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- ^ "Turkey: Kurdish Mayors' Removal Violates Voters' Rights". Human Rights Watch. 2020-02-07. Archived from the original on 2020-04-03. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
- ^ Tuncel, Ruken (9 March 2020). "Ousted Diyarbakır Mayor Selçuk Mızraklı Handed Prison Sentence on 'Terrorism' Charges". Bianet. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Former HDP mayor acquitted of terrorism charges levied last year". Gazete Duvar (in Turkish). 30 September 2021. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
- ^ Karaveli, Halil M. "The Crackdown on HDP: Sustaining Authoritarianism with Ethnic Polarization". Institute for Security and Development Policy. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
- ^ van Wilgenburg, Wladimir (7 February 2020). "HRW: Turkey intensifying attack on pro-Kurdish party by removing mayors". Kurdistan24. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
- ^ "New picture from jailed politicians Demirtaş, Mızraklı". Bianet. 30 March 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.