BATMAN -  Batman Municipality Co-Mayors Songül Korkmaz and Mehmet Demir, who were released yesterday after 4 days in custody, were taken in handcuffs to the prosecutor. The co-chairs said that the people who should be testifying were not themselves but the Minister of the Interior and the Governor of Batman who violated the Constitution.

 

Batman Municipality Co-Mayors Songül Korkmaz and Mehmet Demir were taken into custody during police raids on their homes. Co-chairs who were held under custody for 4 days emphasized that those who should be deposing before the prosecutors were Batman Governor Hulusi Şahin and Minister of Interrior Süleyman Soylu because they were the ones that violated the Constitution.

 

THEY WERE BROUGHT TO THE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE IN HANDCUFFS

 

Co- chair Korkmaz, stating that the political coup continues with the appointment of trustees since Diyarbakır, Mardin and Van Metropolitan Municipalities, said they were taken into custody just to make sure they can appoint trustees to their municipalities. Korkmaz, stating that they were held under custody for 4 days despite the outbreak, said: "When we were brought to the prosecutorü, we had plastic handcuffs on. This is not an humanitarian approach as well as it means handcuffing the 66% of Batman who voted for us. The people of Batman were kept waiting at the corridors of the courthouse for hours.

 

Co-Chair Mehmet Demir, stating that he had to go to the prosecutor's office in handcuffs, said the prosecutor was not able to look them in the eye, knowing that what is being done was illegal. Demir, who stated that the handcuff was removed after his lawyer warned the prosecutor, said: "When I talked to the prosecutor, I said that I would only answer the questions about the municipal authority and the municipal activities. I also told him that the ones who should have been there testfying were the Batman Governor Hulusi Şahin and the Minister of Interrior Süleyman Soylu because they were the ones that violated the Constitution."