An investigation has been launched against the mayor of the Turkish city of Bolu Tanju Ozcan after he admitted that he made a number of discriminatory decisions aimed against Syrians, Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunç said.
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“The Prosecutor General’s Office Bolu has opened an investigation against the mayor of Tanju Ozcan in connection with his statements about the Syrians,” Tunç said on the social network X.
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Ozcan said on one of the TV channels this week that he “illegally canceled the work permits of Syrians.”
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“If the Syrians had started suing, they could have won the case. I saw that they never left Bolu, so I increased water tariffs for them tenfold – this was also done illegally,” the odious mayor admitted.
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Also in Bolu, marriage fees were increased specifically for Syrians, and signs in Arabic were removed.
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According to the AHaber TV channel, a case has been opened against the mayor under articles of inciting hatred and discrimination, and the prosecutor’s office will also demand that a case be opened for abuse of official duties.
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The mayor has already responded on social network X to the ongoing investigation. According to him, he did not commit any crimes, but only defended the interests of the Turkish nation.
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“Now only a few Syrians and Iraqis remain in Bolu. After my actions, children go to parks and schools without fear, our girls and women are not harassed,” Ozcan said.
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This is not the first time Ozcan has spoken harshly about Syrians. Thus, on December 12, shortly after the change of power in Syria, he said that the Bolu authorities would not need to send Syrian refugees to the SAR, since they all left the city five years ago.
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The rate of return of Syrians to their homeland from Turkey after the change of power in Damascus increased almost sevenfold, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya reported in December.
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According to current data, more than 2 million 920 thousand Syrian refugees live in Turkey.
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On December 8, representatives of the armed opposition in Syria seized state television in Damascus and announced on air that they had established control over the country. Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali said that he and several ministers remain in the country and have established contact with the leadership of the armed opposition.
