DEM Party mayor sentenced to 6 years in prison

While the defendant's lawyer attended the hearing held at the Kars 2nd High Criminal Court, the defendant, Mehmet Alkan, who was being tried without arrest, did not attend. In his final opinion, the public prosecutor requested that Alkan be punished for the crime of "membership in an armed terrorist organization."

The request for additional time to present a defense, made by Alkan's lawyer on the grounds of an excuse, was rejected. Concluding the case, the court panel sentenced the defendant Mehmet Alkan to 6 years and 3 months in prison for "membership in an armed terrorist organization."

Mehmet Alkan was detained on November 1, 2019, during an operation conducted by the Provincial Security Directorate's Counter-Terrorism Branch teams under the coordination of the Kars Chief Public Prosecutor's Office to uncover and prevent the actions and activities of the PKK/KCK terrorist organization; he was later released under judicial control with a travel ban. Alkan, who served as the mayor of Kağızman from the HDP between 2009 and 2014, was elected mayor from the DEM Party in the March 31 local elections.