As the ruling AKP (Justice and Development Party) regime has turned Turkey into the biggest prison in the world, the number of arrested Kurdish mayors rose to thirty one on 5 April with the arrest of Karlýova Mayor Ferit Çelik. Arrests of political representatives who are charged with “having connection with a terror organization” focus mainly on the Kurdish region, particularly in Þýrnak where all elected representatives, except for MP Hasip Kaplan, are being held in prison.

The AKP regime which systematically prevents BDP municipalities’ projects and works puts increasing pressures on BDP municipalities before the coming 2013 municipal elections.

According to the information ANF received from BDP law commission, some seven thousand active members of the BDP have been arrested since the municipal elections in 2009 within the scope of so-called “KCK” operations. Among the people arrested are also journalists, intellectuals, woman activists, union members, lawyers and students as well as six BDP deputies.

The names of jailed mayors are;

1 -Abdullah AKENGÝN- Diyarbakýr Dicle Mayor (Diyarbakýr D Type Closed Prison)

2-Nadir BÝNGÖL -Diyarbakýr Ergani Mayor (Diyarbakýr D Type Closed Prison)

3 -Zülküf KARATEKÝN-Diyarbakýr Kayapýnar Mayor (Diyarbakýr D Type Closed Prison)

4- Fýrat ANLI -DTP Diyarbakýr Yeniþehir Mayor (Diyarbakýr D Type Closed Prison)

5- A.Rezak YILDIZ -Þýrnak Balveren Mayor (Diyarbakýr D Type Closed Prison)

6 -Abit DURAK-Þýrnak Kumçatý Mayor (Þýrnak Closed Prison)

7- Dursun ÇAKIR-Þýrnak Kumçatý Mayor (Þýrnak Closed Prison)

8 -Aydýn BUDAK-Þýrnak Cizre Mayor (Diyarbakýr D Type Closed Prison)

9- Emin TOÐURLU -Þýrnak Silopi Mayor (Diyarbakýr D Type Closed Prison)

10- Ramazan UYSAL -Þýrnak Mayor (Diyarbakýr D Type Closed Prison)

11-Resul SADAK -Þýrnak Ýdil Mayor (Diyarbakýr D Type Closed Prison)

12- Mehmet Melih OKTAY - Siirt Eruh Mayor

13 -Ahmet ERTAK-DTP Þýrnak Mayor (Diyarbakýr D Type Closed Prison)

14-Çaðlar DEMÝREL Mardin Derik Mayor (Diyarbakýr D Type Closed Prison)

15- Nejdet ATALAY-Batman Mayor (Diyarbakýr D Tipi Kapalý Cezaevi)

16- Hüseyin KALKAN-DTP Batman Mayor (Diyarbakýr D Type Closed Prison)

17- Leyla GÜVEN-Urfa Viranþehir Mayor (Diyarbakýr E Type Closed Prison)

18- Emrullah CÝN -DTP Urfa Viranþehir Mayor (Diyarbakýr D Type Closed Prison)

19-Etem ÞAHÝN-Urfa Suruç Mayor (Urfa E Type Closed Prison)

20-Gülcihan ÞÝMÞEK-DTP Van Bostaniçi Mayor (Diyarbakýr E Type Closed Prison)

21-Ýhsan GÜLER- Van Baþkale Mayor (Van F Type Prison)

22-Salih YILDIZ-DTP Hakkari Yüksekova Mayor (Diyarbakýr D Type Closed Prison)

23-Ruken YETÝÞKÝN-BDP Hakkari Yüksekova Mayor (Bitlis E Type Prison)

24-Ferhan TÜRK-Kýzýltepe Mayor (Diyarbakýr D Type Closed Prison)

25-Lezgin BÝNGÖL-Bitlis Hizan Kolludere Mayor (Diyarbakýr D Type Closed Prison)

26-Kazým KURT-DTP Hakkari Mayor (Diyarbakýr D Type Closed Prison)

27-M.Nuri GÜNEÞ -Iðdýr Mayor (Erzurum H Type Prison)

28-AYHAN EKMEN-Kars/Digor Daðpýnar Mayor (Erzurum E Type Prison)

29-Yusuf TEMEL-Þýrnak Beytuþebbeap Mayor

30-Ahmet ÝNCÝ -Mardin Dargeçit Kýlavuz Mayor

31-Ferit Çiftçi- Karlýova Mayor (Bingöl M Type Prison)

Mayors for whom arrest warrant was issued are;

1-Yakup BUDAK-DTP Þýrnak Cizre Mayor

2-Þükran SÝNCAR-Þýrnak Uludere Mayor

Arrested deputies are;

1-Faysal Sarýyýldýz- Þýrnak (Mardin E Type Closed Prison)

2-Selma Irmak-Þýrnak (Diyarbakýr E Type Closed Prison)

3-Güleser Yýldýrý-Mardin (Mardin E Type Closed Prison)

4-Hatip Dicle-Diyarbakýr (Diyarbakýr E Type Closed Prison)

5-Kemal Aktaþ-Van (Diyarbakýr D Type Closed Prison)

6-Ýbrahim Ayhan-Urfa (Urfa D Type Closed Prison)