Zeynel Taş, the former co-mayor of the Bozova district in the province of Urfa, has been released from prison after nine years of imprisonment. Taş was arrested in 2016 and later sentenced to more than eleven years in prison. On Saturday, he was released from the high-security prison in Yozgat province in central Anatolia.
Relatives, members of the ÖHD (Association of Lawyers for Freedom), activists from the DEM Party’s district association in Bozova, and the acting co-mayor Aygül Kapıkayalı gathered outside the prison to welcome Taş. “We will continue our struggle together with our people for a better future,” said Taş after his release. He then set off on his way back to his hometown.
Taş ran for the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) in the 2014 local elections and was elected co-mayor of the district. He was arrested in 2016 during a major wave of arrests and convicted two years later for alleged membership in a “terrorist organization.”
The court accused Taş of his activities as a delegate in the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), as well as political speeches, social media posts, and participation in the funerals of guerrilla fighters.