JINHA

NEWS CENTER – The Turkish government has ordered that the co-mayor of the besieged city of Cizre, Leyla İmret, be removed from her post.

Leyla İmret was elected as Cizre’s first woman co-mayor with 82% of the vote. For nine days, Turkish security forces maintained a siege on the Kurdish town, killing many civilians. Now, on the heels of the announcement that the 24-hour curfew has beeen lifted, Turkey’s Ministry of the Interior has announced that Leyla will be removed from her post as the co-mayor of the besieged town. The state prosecutor has started an investigation against Leyla for “propaganda for a terror organization” and “inciting rebellion.”
Leyla said that the investigation started after the Turkish nationalist newspaper Sözcü distorted a statement that she made to Vice News. Leyla had said that, “’there's a saying, 'if there's peace, it will start from Cizre, and if there's war, it will start from here as well.’” The newspaper framed her as saying “the civil war will start in Cizre.”
“This is absolutely untrue; it’s an entirely distorted article. It’s absolutely unacceptable for me to be removed from duty for this without knowing or doing anything,” said Leyla, who said the misquoting motivated the government investigation.

Leyla spent the nine days of the 24-hour curfew in Cizre’s Nur neighborhood, where clashes were particularly intense.

“There’s a need for everything here, from baby food to provisions,” said Leyla. “Houses have been demolished and burned and we’re awaiting solidarity.” She noted that children in particular needed psychological support to overcome their experience of war.

(gc/cm)