Turkey Arrests Kurdish Mayor Ahmet Türk Who Has Apologized for Armenia Genocide

ANKARA — Turkish Police on Nov. 21 detained former Mardin co-mayor Ahmet Türk from the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), four days after he was dismissed from his post as a part of a terror investigation, Dogan News Agency has reported.

Along with Türk, the mayor of Mardin’s central Artuklu district, Emin Irmak, who is also from the sister party of the Kurdish issue-focused Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), was detained at his office as a part of the operation.

The investigation was launched against him on the charges of “violating the state union and unity, giving money to and being a member of armed terrorist group, abuse of power, humiliating the Turkish people, the Republic of Turkey, the Turkish Parliament”.

Ahmet Türk has delivered a number of speeches on the Armenian Genocide. He has acknowledged the Kurds’ role in the Genocide and apologized to the Armenians on behalf of the Kurdish people. He explained that the Kurdish population was used to commit the crimes against Armenians in 1915. “Our grandfathers and fathers were used in the injustices perpetrated against Armenians, Assyrians and Yezidis. There’s blood on their hands. With the blood of these peoples they bloodied their own hands. Thus, as their children and grandchildren, we apologize.”