45 professional organisations and NGOs came together in Amed’s Sümer Park Reception Hall and held a meeting on the outcomes of the State of Emergency, the arrest of Amed co-mayors and the coup against the press.

The joint declaration was read by the Labour and Democracy Platform Co-spokesperson Doğan Hatun.

Hatun stated that the State of Emergency had turned into a political opportunism and said: “We see that anti-democratic and unlawful practices are being implemented. With the statutory decrees issued in line with the State of Emergency, decrees and practices that cause grave human rights violations that shake the foundations of democratic and legal life in Turkey have been realized. A wide range of dissidents who don’t share the same views as the political power have become targets, workers and social opposition groups and press freedom are being made to pay.”

“CONFISCATING THROUGH TYRANNY WHAT COULDN’T BE WON BY ELECTIONS”

The statement continued:

“The State of Emergency has been an intervention on the social opposition groups and the gains of the Kurdish political movement, rather than the coup and the Cemaat.

The political power is in conflict with itself by pointing to the ballot in every chance it gets, but failing to recognize the will that emerges from the ballot through the practice of trustees. This is, to put it bluntly, confiscating through tyranny what couldn’t be won by elections. This has no place in a democracy, and can in no way reconcile with lawfullness. We declare that we see the Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Co-mayors Ms. Gültan Kışanak and Mr. Fırat Anlı being detained and arrested in this framework, and we see this as a political intervention with the political preferences and the will of the people. We state clearly that we see this as part of a plan to appoint trustees to the Metropolitan Municipality.”

“THE AUDIENCES ARE ALSO PUNISHED”

The statement also mentioned the closing of dozens of press institutions including DİHA, JINHA and Azadiya Welat and said the following on the subject:

“This outlook displays the limits the censorship and the pressure on press freedom has reached. It should be remembered that this is not only punishing the closed televisions, radios, newspapers, agencies and journals, but also their audience. Considering the closed media organs are publications that focus on the diversity of identities and cultures in our social structure, it becomes apparent that this is a manifestation of intolerance and othering against different identities, cultures and faiths.

Another way to read the attempts at silencing the press is that this is a wish to keep the unlawful and anti-democratic practices, the deepening war and the atmosphere of conflict in the dark.”

The statement concluded with: “We as the NGOs demand an immediate stop to this practice which we assess to be a political intervention against the people’s political preferences and their will and consider part of the goal to silence democratic opposition.”

SIGNATORIES:

CHAMBER OF ARCHITECTS DİYARBAKIR BRANCH

CHAMBER OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS DİYARBAKIR BRANCH

CHAMBER OF CIVIL ENGINEERS DİYARBAKIR BRANCH

CHAMBER OF ELECTRONIC ENGINEERS DİYARBAKIR BRANCH

CHAMBER OF MINING ENGINEERS DİYARBAKIR BRANCH

CHAMBER OF AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERS DİYARBAKIR BRANCH

CHAMBER OF CARTOGRAPHY ENGINEERS DİYARBAKIR BRANCH

CHAMBER OF CITY PLANNERS DİYARBAKIR BRANCH

CHAMBER OF GEOLOGY ENGINEERS DİYARBAKIR BRANCH

CHAMBER OF GEOPHYSICS ENGINEERS DİYARBAKIR REPRESENTATION OFFICE

CHAMBER OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS DİYARBAKIR REPRESENTATION OFFICE

CHAMBER OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERS DİYARBAKIR REPRESENTATION OFFICE

CHAMBER OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS DİYARBAKIR REPRESENTATION OFFICE

EĞİTİM-SEN (EDUCATORS UNION)

SES (HEALTH WORKERS UNION)

BES (OFFICE WORKERS UNION)

TÜMBEL-SEN (MUNICIPALITY WORKERS UNION)

BTS (TRANSPORTATION WORKERS UNION)

TARIM ORKAM-SEN (AGRICULTURAL WORKERS UNION)

YAPIYOL-SEN (INFRASTRUCTURE WORKERS UNION)

ENERJİ YAPI YOL-SEN (ENERGY WORKERS UNION)

HABER-SEN (PRESS WORKERS UNION)

DİVES (RELIGIOUS WORKERS UNION)

KÜLTÜR SANAT-SEN (CULTURE AND ARTS WORKERS UNION)

GENEL İŞ 1 NOLU(DİSK) (GENERAL WORKERS UNION 1)

GENEL İŞ 2 NOLU(DİSK) (GENERAL WORKERS UNION 2)

CHAMBER OF MEDICINE DİYARBAKIR BRANCH

CHAMBER OF DENTISTS DİYARBAKIR BRANCH

HUMAN RIGHTS ASSOCIATION (İHD) DİYARBAKIR BRANCH

GÜVENLİK-SEN (DİSK) (SECURITY WORKERS UNION)

MESOPOTAMIA LAWYERS ASSOCIATION

CHAMBER OF VETERINARY MEDICINE DİYARBAKIR BRANCH

CHAMBER OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS DİYARBAKIR BRANCH

GÖÇ-DER (MIGRATION ASSOCIATION)

MED-SAT

TUHAD-FED (RELATIVES OF DETAINED AND ARRESTED PERSONS ASSOCIATIONS FEDERATION)

TUHAD-DER (RELATIVES OF DETAINED AND ARRESTED PERSONS ASSOCIATION)

KÜRDİ-DER

THE KURDISH INSTITUTE

PEACE MOTHERS

MEYA-DER (SOLIDARITY WITH RELATIVES OF DISAPPEARED PERSONS ASSOCIATION)

’78 GENERATION ASSOCIATION

PİR SULTAN ABDAL ASSOCIATION

BELEDİYE-İŞ SENDİKASI (MUNICIPALITY WORKERS UNION)

ENERJİ-SEN (DİSK) (ENERGY WORKERS UNION)