Who is Siirt Mayor Sofya Alağaş? Has she been arrested? Why was a trustee appointed?

Siirt Mayor Sofya Alağaş has been removed from office and replaced by a government-appointed trustee. Following the local elections held on March 31, 2024, DEM Party candidate Sofya Alağaş was elected Mayor of Siirt with 49.6% of the vote. Alağaş was removed from office due to a prison sentence she received as a result of a lawsuit filed against her on charges of 'membership in the PKK/KCK armed terrorist organization,' and a trustee was appointed in her place. So, who is Siirt Mayor Sofya Alağaş? Has she been arrested? Why was a trustee appointed? Here are all the answers...

WHY WAS SOFYA ALAĞAŞ REMOVED FROM OFFICE?

During her time as a journalist, a lawsuit had been filed against Alağaş on allegations of 'being a member of an organization.' After the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court sentenced DEM Party Siirt Co-Mayor Sofya Alağaş to 6 years and 3 months in prison, a trustee was appointed to the municipality this morning. It was learned that police, who blockaded the municipality building, informed the co-mayors that a trustee had been appointed.

HOW MANY MUNICIPALITIES HAVE HAD TRUSTEES APPOINTED?

Since the March 31, 2024 local elections, a total of 10 municipalities have had trustees appointed. The first municipality to have a trustee appointed after the election was Hakkari in June.

On October 30, Istanbul's Esenyurt Municipality CHP Mayor Ahmet Özer was arrested and a trustee was appointed in his place. On November 4, trustees were appointed for the third time to the Mardin, Batman, and Halfeti municipalities. On November 22, the mayors of Tunceli, won by the DEM Party, and Ovacık, won by the CHP, were removed from office. On November 29, Van Bahçesaray Municipality Mayor Ayvaz Hazır was removed from office and a trustee was appointed in his place. Following detentions in the Mersin Akdeniz district, a trustee was also appointed to the Akdeniz Municipality. Finally, a trustee was appointed to the DEM Party's Siirt Municipality.

HAS THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR MADE A STATEMENT?

The Ministry of Interior announced that Siirt Governor Kemal Kızılkaya has been appointed as the Deputy Mayor of Siirt. The statement from the Ministry is as follows:

"Due to Siirt Mayor Sofya ALAĞAŞ receiving a 6-year-and-3-month prison sentence for the crime of 'Membership in the PKK/KCK Armed Terrorist Organization' in the case file numbered 2023/113 Basis and 2025/23 Decision of the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court; Sofya ALAĞAŞ has been removed from office as a temporary measure by the Ministry of Interior in accordance with Article 127 of the Constitution and Article 47 of the Municipal Law No. 5393. In accordance with Articles 45 and 46 of the Municipal Law No. 5393, Siirt Governor Dr. Kemal KIZILKAYA has been assigned as the Deputy Mayor."

WHO IS SOFYA ALAĞAŞ?

Sofya Alağaş was born in 1990 in the village of Erkent in the Pervari district of Siirt. Alağaş, who settled in Adana with her family in 1993, completed her primary, secondary, and high school education in Adana. She began working as a reporter in 2008. Having continued her profession for 17 years, Alağaş worked in various non-governmental organizations. Sofya Alağaş, who was a candidate for the Siirt Mayoralty from the DEM Party in the 2024 local elections, won the election with 49.64% of the vote. Siirt Co-Mayor Sofya Alağaş, against whom a lawsuit was filed on charges of "being a member of an organization" during her time as a journalist, was sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison. After spending one year in prison, Sofya Alağaş was released at the first hearing, and her file was separated from the case of other journalists.

News Source: 12punto