MARDİN - Hikmet Erdin, a member of the AKP's Mazıdağı Municipality Assembly, threatened HDP co-mayor Nalan Özaydın with a gun. The Turkish judiciary called HDP members in for deposition. 

 

At Mazıdağı HDP-run Municipality's Assembly Meeting in August, a disturbing threatening incident involving the AKP occurred.

 

Hikmet Erdin, a member of AKP's Municipal Assembly, threatened Nalan Özaydın, co-mayor of the municipality with a gun. The incident took place after the end of the session.

 

According to the information received AKP Councillor, Erdin, asked why the Industrial Estate made during the trustee period had not opened.

 

HDP councillors said the site appeared to have been made with some 3 million Turkish Lira corruption money and that it would open after the necessary investigation. At that, Erdin pulled out the gun.

 

Erdin threatened the co-mayor with the gun and said, “I am the state. I will enter with my gun." The moments of tension ended with the intervention of the police.

 

In a statement, co-mayor Özaydın reacted to the police allowing councillor Erden to enter the municipality with a gun. Upon hearing the incident, a large number of residents gathered in front of the town hall.

 

Residents marched to Kent Square along with the co-chairs. Following the attack, Mardin Provincial Board of Local Governments issued a written statement.

 

The Board stressed: “There is no doubt that we will continue to counter these reactionary colonial approaches."

 

The AKP people were not content with the attacks and threats and this time they put the judiciary into action. Erdin and his guards got a report of assault and filed a criminal complaint with the prosecutor.

 

According to MA, Erdin claimed that he did not enter the municipality with a gun in his criminal complaint and that he was attacked and that his guard, Halit Benek, a village guard, was beaten.

 

Upon this, the prosecutor summoned co-mayor Özaydın and councillors Fehime Hamarat, Safiye Kapçak, Hikmet Eres and Mesut Ürün to Mazıdağı District Police Department.

 

No action was taken against Erdin and his entourage, but statements of HDP elected officials were taken following the AKP councillor complaint. 

 

HDP Council member Hikmet Eres was taken into custody on charges of attacking a public official.