Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) co-mayors of Mersin's Akdeniz Municipality, Hoşyar Sarıyıldız and Nuriye Arslan, and municipal council members Özgür Çağlar, Neslihan Oruç, Yakup Danış and Hikmet Bakırhan were detained.

 

Citizens gathered in front of the municipality building against the detentions and the attempt to appoint a trustee, and said that no result could be achieved with these practices.

 

'WE DO NOT ACCEPT THE TRUSTEE'

 

Human Rights Association (IHD) Mersin Branch Executive Şükran Aktaş reacted to the detention of co-mayors and council members and the attempt to appoint a trustee to the municipality and said, "This time there is a different situation other than the usual trustee appointments. According to the information we have, there is no appointment of a trustee. Anyway, all trustee system are a coup against the will. Therefore, truste system is first of all a blow to the violation of the right to vote. We do not accept this in any way. It is an anti-democratic practice. These practices should be abandoned as soon as possible and the co-mayors of Akdeniz Municipality should be released and this unlawfulness should be abandoned."

 

'THEY WILL NOT GET RESULTS WITH THESE PRACTICES'

 

Stating that the detention and trustee system attempt was unlawful, a citizen named Çağlar Fırat said, "The most important indicator of democracy in Turkey is the elections. Therefore, from our point of view, it is no longer enough just to elect. We also need to protect the places we have won and take a stance. At the same time, democracy has evolved into such a system for us. Our people are sensitive about this issue. They will not achieve any results with these practices."

 

'LET'S RESIST'

 

Fatma Erdal, a member of Campus Witches, said, "We women are aware that this trustee politics is actually related to the centuries-long Kurdish hostility and the policies of denial, destruction and assimilation against the Kurdish people. We know that with this method, the rights that the political will of the Kurdish people has gained in the localities, such as co-mayor system, which have been realised in order for women to benefit more from social rights and public rights, are being tried to be scythed. We know that this is a preparation for the appointment of trustees. We invite all women, all labourers, all peoples to resist against the trustee politics."

 

EMPHASIS ON STRUGGLE

 

Reacting to the trustee attempt, DEM Party Tarsus District Co-Chair Fuat Yaman said, "No other country in the world has such an anti-democratic practice. You can enter the election, you can win the election, but they do not allow you to govern".

 

A citizen named Müslüm Tanlı said, "We have only one municipality in the West with the DEM Party name. They do not want to accept this either. Based on this, they have adopted a general attitude. They have an approach that they will not spare the baton and that 'we will continue our own politics' even though there is a dialogue process. All democratic circles, everyone who respects the constitution should condemn this incident, take a stand and act together."