A Turkish court sentenced a pro-Kurdish mayor to nearly 19 years in prison for alleged terrorism, according to his lawyer.
The former mayor, Mehmet Siddik Akis, was removed from his post just two days earlier, sparking strong reactions in the Turkish parliament.
Akis is active in the DEM party, which Turkish authorities accuse of having ties to the PKK, a group designated as a terrorist organization. Akis himself denies any connections to the PKK and calls the trial "political".
Mehmet Siddik Akis was the mayor of the city of Hakkari in southeastern Turkey. He is the first mayor to be removed since the local elections in March, when his party took control of several major cities in southeastern Turkey.
A verbal brawl broke out in the parliament in Ankara when news of Mehmet Siddik Akis' sentence became public. DEM has 57 of 594 seats in parliament.
About three weeks ago, the former leader of the HDP, Selahattin Demirtas, was sentenced to 42 years in prison.
