Turkish authorities have intensified their crackdown on Kurdish political figures in recent days, detaining and removing elected pro-Kurdish mayors across southeastern Turkey. According to Reuters and AFP, police in Ankara detained the co-mayor of the Kurdish-majority city of Van, marking the latest wave of raids targeting the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party). Turkey's Interior Ministry stated it has replaced DEM Party mayors in Mardin, Batman, and Halfeti with government-appointed trustees, accusing them of links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). In a broader operation, simultaneous dawn raids across Istanbul, Ankara, Adana, Diyarbakir, Mersin, and Sanliurfa resulted in the detention of dozens of local party executives and activists. The DEM Party condemned the dismissals, arguing they contradict recent peace overtures from Ankara. Human rights organizations and Western governments have expressed concern over these actions, which coincide with ongoing military operations against Kurdish militants in Turkey, northern Iraq, and Syria. [Reuters / AFP](https://example.com)