Turkey probes protest at burial of politician's mother

By Sena Guler and Yildiz Nevin Gundogmus

ANKARA (AA) - Police have launched an investigation into a protest at the funeral of an ex-lawmaker’s mother, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said Thursday.

Following the protest, the family of Hatun Tugluk, the mother of former deputy Aysel Tugluk, later removed her body for burial in her home province of Tunceli, eastern Turkey.

“The necessary administrative and judicial investigation has been launched, while related arrest proceedings have also been initiated,” Soylu said at an event in Ankara.

“We will continue our counter-terrorism efforts unwaveringly. Our main reason for counter-terrorism is the unity and solidarity of our nation.”

Referring to himself and the provincial governor, he added: “After arriving on the scene on Wednesday, we expressed our condolences over the incident and told the family that they could bury the remains of their mother there.

“But after the incident the family wanted to transfer the body to Tunceli.”

Wednesday’s protest saw a crowd of 20-25 men stage an angry picket at the cemetery in Incek, Ankara.

Tugluk, who is a deputy co-president of the Democratic Peoples’ Party (HDP), is currently on trial on terrorism charges and was released from prison to attend the burial.

Nine HDP deputies, including party co-leader Selahattin Demirtas, are also in prison facing terror allegations after their parliamentary immunity was lifted in March 2016.

The government accuses the party of links to the PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU and U.S.

Tugluk’s mother, who had been attending the trial, died on Wednesday morning aged 80.

She was buried at Incek but after the angry reaction her family decided to move her remains to Tunceli.

Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag also condemned the incident on Thursday, saying the scenes at the Ankara burial were “unwelcome” and that the government did not approve.