Three Turkish mayors fired for suspected PKK links

Turkish authorities fired mayors of Diyarbakir, Mardin and Van for alleged ties to the PKK, a Kurdish group classified as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the country's Interior Ministry said.

The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), to which the three mayors belong, said they had been dismissed "on an order based on lies and illegal justifications."

All three mayors were elected with a majority of votes in the March 31 election. Diyarbakir Mayor Adnan Selcuk Mizrakli got 63% of the provincial vote, while Mardin Mayor Ahmet Turk had 56% and Van Mayor Bedia Ozgokce Ertan received 54% popular support, Bloomberg reported.