Two Turkish opposition mayors have been removed from office, Ankara said on Friday, after they were convicted of “terrorism” for being members of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

The pair are the fifth and sixth pro-Kurdish mayors to be dismissed on similar charges in the past two months, including the mayor of Istanbul’s most populous district.

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Tunceli’s elected mayor Cevdet Konak, and Mustafa Sarigul, mayor of Ovacik in Tunceli province, southeastern Turkey, were found guilty of membership of the PKK, which is classified as a terrorist organization by Ankara and its Western allies.

The PKK has been waging a guerrilla insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, a conflict that has cost the lives of tens of thousands of people.

The pair were each given a prison sentence of six years and three months this week, the Interior Ministry said, and were replaced by state-appointed administrators.

Konakis is a member of the main pro-Kurdish Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), which is often targeted by Turkish authorities due to his alleged ties to the PKK.

Sarigul is affiliated with the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), which caused major unrest to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan when he won local elections in March.

Both men told local media on Thursday that the allegations against them were unfounded.

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The dismissals drew angry crowds outside Tunceli’s town hall, where some tried to push their way through a police cordon, local media reported.

Konak’s party condemned the dismissals, saying “the government is slowly destroying the will of the people.”

Among those previously deposed was Ahmet Ozer, the mayor of Istanbul’s Esenyurt district, who is a member of the CHP and accused of having ties to the PKK.

Several other pro-Kurdish mayors have also been removed from office after previous elections.

Erdogan’s government has defended the dismissals as part of Ankara’s efforts to maintain security.

But opposition parties and rights groups say these moves are part of the president’s aim to undermine democracy.

mm/zc (AP, AFP)