Trustees were appointed to 'municipalities that supported' terror: Turkish Interior Ministry

Turkey's Interior Ministry has released a 66-page report to justify the appointment of trustees in place of democratically elected politicians in municipalities in the east and southeast of the country, claiming that official vehicles were used to transfer weapons and militants to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), daily Habertürk reported April 6. 

According to the report titled "Assignments to Municipalities due to Terror," trustees were appointed to the municipalities of 10 provinces, 63 districts and 12 towns run by the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) or its sister party, the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), over their alleged links to the PKK. 

Trustees were also appointed to six districts, four of which belonged to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), one to the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and one to an independent.

The report said the PKK "carried terror to the cities" by declaring "so-called self-governments" in certain provinces and districts after the June 7, 2015, general elections, adding that the resources provided by the state to the municipalities were used "in service of terror."

 In addition, the report said PKK militants and the relatives of militants who died in the operations were employed in the municipalities. 

The report, which was sent to a number of international institutions in English and Turkish, noted that the practice of co-chairmanship was practiced by the PKK.

"The PKK militants in the group's mountain branch were appointed to the municipalities as personnel. The co-chairs gained a say in construction, license and tender issues," it also said, adding that weapons were brought with official cars to the PKK and that municipalities that were distant...