Tuncer Bakırhan

Tuncer Bakırhan (born 1970 in Susuz, Kars) is a Turkish politician of Kurdish ethnicity and current co-leader of the DEM Party. He is a former chairman of the Democratic People's Party (DEHAP) and the former Mayor of Siirt. He was dismissed from his duties as mayor by the Turkish ministry of the interior, arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Early life and education He grew up in Susuz and attended his primary and secondary education in Kars and studied at the Uludağ University in Bursa. During his studies he was detained and accused for supporting the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) but released shortly after.

Political career He began to be involved in the youth wing of the People's Labour Party (HEP) in 1989 and was a candidate for Kars in the local election 1999, but was not elected. In the parliamentary election in 2002 his party received the most votes in his electoral district but could not assume due to the fact that the party did not pass the electoral threshold. The DEHAP dissolved itself in November 2005 and following he joined the Democratic Society Party (DTP) and became the parties vice chairmen. He was the DTP candidate for Esenyurt in the local elections 2009, but was not elected. He was dismissed by the Ministry of Interior in November 2016 and detained the same day. He was arrested for 2 years and 11 months before his release.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled against Turkey over his arrest in September 2021 ordered to pay Bakırhan the sum of 10'000 Euros.

In the parliamentary elections of May 2023, he was elected into the Grand National Assembly of Turkey for representing the Green Left Party (YSP) for Siirt.

Other legal prosecution During his political career he was prosecuted many times often relating to "freedom of expression". He was arrested on 17 January 2012 due to an investigation in the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) and released from prison on the 30 April 2013.