In February of this year three Kurdish mayors (of the towns of Diyarbakir, Siirt and Bingöl) were arrested on their return to Turkey after they had signed the Aalborg Charter in Hanover in Germany together with 4 colleagues making their towns members of the 'European Sustainable Cities and Towns Campaign' ; they are still being held in prison.
I februar 2000 blev tre kurdiske borgmestre (fra byerne Diyarbakir, Siirt og Bingöl), som sammen med fire andre kolleger havde underskrevet "Ålborg-charteret" i Hannover i Tyskland, hvorved deres byer var blevet medlemmer af "European Sustainable Cities and Towns Campaign", arresteret, da de vendte tilbage til Tyrkiet, og de har siden siddet i fængsel.