Police disperse protesters in SE Turkey after ousting of three Kurdish mayors

Riot police fired water cannon and tear gas in southeast Turkey on Tuesday to disperse people protesting against the ousting of three Kurdish mayors five months after they were elected.

Ankara replaced the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) mayors with state officials on Monday and detained more than 400 people for suspected militant links in a step sharply criticized by opposition parties, Reuters said.

The Interior Ministry says the ousted HDP mayors of the three major cities – Diyarbakir, Mardin and Van – are accused of various crimes including membership of a terrorist organization and spreading terrorist group propaganda.

The HDP described the mayors’ removal as a political coup and a hostile stance against the political will of the Kurdish people.