Last October 26, the Turkish authorities detained Gultan Kisanak and Firat Anli, co-mayors of Diyarbakir, the major city of the Turkish Kurdistan, as part of an investigation on the terrorist links as the District attorney's office indicated in a communiqué gathered to the press.

When a city elect person is detained, the local democracy staggers. It is necessary to be very careful with the accusations because the democratic will of the people expressed democratically in the moment of their election is put in question.

For this reason, this General Secretariat of the IOPD condemns these serious facts and endorses the UCLG's declaration that is attached and asks the members of the IOPD to move this condemnation to their cities and ask to the Turkish government to scrupulous respect the human rights.

Fernando Pindado Sanchez

Secretary General of the IOPD