The Cizre Penal Court of First Instance has rejected the investigation launched against dismissed Cizre Co-Mayor Mehmet Zırığ due to his Newroz speech dated March 21, 2019.

 

Elected as the Co-Mayor of Cizre in Turkey's southeastern province of Şırnak by receiving 77 percent of the votes in March 31 local elections, Zırığ was removed from office on the ground that there were two ongoing investigations against him. One of these investigations launched by the Cizre Public Prosecutor's Office has ended in non-prosecution.

 

Referring to the Newroz speech of Zırığ, the Prosecutor's Office alleged that Zırığ committed the crime of "praising the crime and the criminal" by mentioning Peoples' Democratic Party's (HDP) the then hunger striking Hakkari MP Leyla Güven and by talking about Mehmet Tunç, who was killed in Cizre during the period of curfews in 2016.

 

The Cizre Penal Court of First Instance has examined the indictment issued by the Cizre Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and given a verdict of non-prosecution. The court has returned the indictment to the prosecutor.

 

THE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE HAS OBJECTED 

 

 

After the court returned the indictment, the prosecutor's office has lodged an objection against the verdict of non-prosecution. The objection of the office is still being evaluated. That being the case, one of the two investigations, which were cited as the reason for his removal from office and appointment of a trustee in his place, has ended in non-prosecution.

 

There are still one lawsuit against Mehmet Zırığ heard by the Malatya 5th Heavy Penal Court on charge of "membership of a terrorist organization" and an investigation launched by the Cizre Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on charges of "praising the crime and the criminal and propagandizing for a terrorist organization"