The Mayor of Kardzhali and Deputy Chairman of the "DPS" "Erol Mюмюн" was taken by police this morning for questioning on suspicion of committing official misconduct on a particularly large scale. According to unofficial information, a search is being conducted in his office at the municipality.

Mюмюн is accompanied by his lawyer and is currently located at the building of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior in Kardzhali. There is an increased police presence in the area of the municipality, and dozens of DPS activists and supporters are gathering in front of the building.

DPS: "The mayor has not been arrested, but taken for questioning"

The Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly from the DPS, "Ayten Sabri," arrived on the scene to support the mayor. She categorically denied the thesis that it was an arrest.

"The mayor of Kardzhali, Mr. Erol Mюмюн, has not been arrested. Please let this be clear. He is currently being taken for questioning. We are all here; we have come to support him. Our idea is for us to also understand what is happening, because none of us knows at the moment why he is here and what they are questioning him about," Sabri told journalists.

Together with her in Kardzhali is the DPS member of parliament "Bayram Bayram," as well as local party structures.

DPS sees a "sign" to the party and the Muslim community

"Bayram Bayram" described the police actions as a message not only to the mayor, but also to the party itself and to the Turkish and Muslim community in the country.

"We take this as a sign, it is not only to Mr. Erol Mюмюн as the mayor of Kardzhali municipality, we take it as a sign to the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. We take this as a sign to the entire Turkish and Muslim community in the Republic of Bulgaria," he stated.

"And from here I want to say – they will see what the strength of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms is, they will see what the strength of the Muslim and Turkish community is. And we will never forget this police harassment, this political pressure that is currently being exerted by certain political and police bosses," added Bayram.

Tension in front of the municipality, lack of official information

Supporters and activists of the DPS continue to gather in front of the municipal building and in front of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior. The atmosphere is tense, but at the moment there are no reports of incidents.

At this moment, there is no official statement from the police and the prosecutor's office regarding the grounds for the actions being taken and the specific charges being investigated. It is also unclear how long the questioning of Erol Mюмюн will last.

The case is emerging as significant not only for the local government in Kardzhali but also on a national political level, given Mюмюн's role as Deputy Chairman of the DPS and the symbolic importance of the region for the party.