Sara Kaya (born 1 January 1970 in Nusaybin) is a Kurdish politician from Turkey and a former mayor of Nusaybin. She is currently being held at the Tarsus prison in Mersin.[1]
Sara Kaya | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Nusaybin | |
| In office 2014–2016 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 January 1970 Nusaybin, Mardin, Turkey |
| Citizenship | Turkish |
| Nationality | Kurdish |
| Political party | Peace and Democracy Party |
| Alma mater | Anadolu University |
Education and professional career
editSara Kaya was born in Nusaybin, where she attended primary and secondary education. She graduated in construction engineering at the Dicle University in Diyarbakir and later also in Business Administration from the Anadolu University in Eskişehir.[2] She was employed for nineteen years at the Municipality of Nusaybin during which she acted for several years the speaker of the workers union of the municipality.[3]
Political career
editDuring the local elections of 2014, she was elected Mayor of Nusaybin representing the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP).[4] Her tenure was marked by the declaration of self governance[5] and the subsequent curfews in Nusaybin.[6] She has been described as a supporter of the Yazidi as well as a feminist.[7]
Prosecution
editShe was detained on the 28 August 2015 for having announced the city would govern itself and later transferred from detention in Mardin to a prison in Sincan, Ankara in September 2015.[8] She was released from prison pending trial in November 2015.[5] Kaya was unseated from her post as a Mayor in September 2016[9] and re-arrested in January 2017.[10] Her lawyer in 2018 was Kamuran Tanhan, who claimed the police fabricated evidence against Kaya.[11] In 2019 she was moved to Tarsus prison in Mersin.[12] Sara Kaya was sentenced to 16 years in prison in June 2020 majorly for being a member of an illegal organization and 2 1/2 years for misconduct in office.[13] She was released on 10th of May 2024.[14]
Personal life
editSara Kaya is married and has four children.[2]
References
edit- ^ "Nusaybin mayor Kaya transferred to Tarsus T-Type Closed Prison". ANF News. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
- ^ a b "Sara Kaya Kimdir ? - Sara Kaya Hayatı ve Biyografisi". www.haberler.com. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
- ^ "Biographies of Kurdish Mayors in Prison" (PDF). HDPEurope. p. 32. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ "Seçim 2014 Mardin Nusaybin Yerel Seçim Sonuçları". www.haberturk.com. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
- ^ a b "Nusaybin Belediye Başkanı Sara Kaya tahliye edildi". www.cumhuriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2021-01-12.
- ^ "Curfew Lifted in Nusaybin". Bianet - Bagimsiz Iletisim Agi. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
- ^ à 18h46, Par Le 11 mars 2018 (2018-03-11). "Vitry : le maire parraine une co-maire kurde emprisonnée". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 2021-01-12.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Nusaybin Co-Mayor Sara Kaya Unseated". Bianet. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
- ^ "Curfew Declared in One Neighbourhood in Nusaybin". Bianet. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
- ^ "Jailed Kurdish mayor faces trial on evidence police admit was faked". Ahval. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
- ^ "Jailed Kurdish mayor faces trial on evidence police admit was faked". Ahval. 2018.
- ^ "Nusaybin mayor Kaya transferred to Tarsus T-Type Closed Prison". ANF News. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
- ^ "Former co-mayor of Nusaybin sentenced to 16 years in prison". ANF News. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
- ^ "10 years in prison and release order for former Nusaybin Municipality co-mayor Kaya". ANF News. Retrieved 2024-05-25.