DBP co-mayors and parliamentarians announced that the appointment of trustees would be protested across Kurdistan tomorrow, and called upon civilians to stand up for their will and show solidarity with their municipalities. Despite the Ministry of Interior Affairs’ appointment of appointment of trustees to 24 DBP municipalities, DBP officials continue their work. 11 co-mayors announced that they would not recognize the appointed trustees, and called upon people to enhance their resistance and stand up for their will.

AKEL: APPOINTED TRUSTEES ARE WAR TOOLS

Batman Co-Mayor Gülistan Akel described appointed trustees as war tools and said that patriarchal mentality occupied the municipalities with the coming of the trustees. Akel called upon women to enhance their resistance against the appointed trustees and said that people would never accept the trustees.

SEVEN: THEY SEIZED OUR MUNICIPALITIES

Özalp Deputy Co-Mayor Cafer Seven stated that the AKP government seized their municipalities and filled them with special operations officers. Seven called upon people to take it to the streets and resist the appointed trustees.

ÇELİK: WE WILL BE HERE AS LONG AS PEOPLE WANT

Edremit Deputy Co-Mayor Nurhayat Çelik stated that they would be there as long as people want, and called for an early election as opposed to the seizure of municipalities. Çelik noted that the DBP municipalities were models for Turkey, and the AKP’s seizure was an attack on this model, which is for the people.

AVCI: OUR PEOPLE AND US WILL CONTINUE THIS STRUGGLE

Erciş Deputy Co-Mayor Güler Avcı stated that DBP municipal personnel would not go to work but continue to work among the people. Avcı announced that they would not recognize the appointed trustees, and emphasized that people would not accept the AKP’s cruelty of seizing people’s will.

CAN: I CALL UPON OUR PEOPLE TO STOP THIS ILLEGALITY

Tuzluca Co-Mayor Neşegül Can called upon people to stop the illegality of seizing the municipalities and take their struggle to the streets. Can said that they would continue to work against the AKP’s seizure, and called upon people to enhance their struggle.

TAŞDEMİR: PEOPLES’ WILL WAS SEIZED AND THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE

Hoşhaber Deputy Co-Mayor Halis Taşdemir stated that peoples’ will was seized and described this seizure as unacceptable. Taşdemir said that they would continue their work, and called upon people to object to the AKP’s illegal seizure of DBP municipalities.

YILDIRIM: PEOPLE WON’T ACCEPT THIS

Eruh Co-Mayor İdris Yıldırım stated that people would not accept the AKP’s seizure of their will, and affirmed that they would continue to resist the seizure. Yıldırım called upon people to take their struggle to the streets and stand up for their will.

KARDAĞI: BIG REACTION FROM THE PEOPLE

Bulanık Deputy Co-Mayor Arafat Karadağ stated that there was a big reaction from the people, who would not accept the AKP’s seizure of their municipalities. Karadağ noted that they would continue to work, and called upon people to participate in their press statement tomorrow.

TEKİNER: MUNICIPALITY BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE

Silvan Deputy Co-Mayor Zuhal Tekiner stated that they would continue to work along the people, who object to the AKP’s seizure of their municipality. Tekiner emphasized that the municipality belongs to the people, and described the AKP’s seizure as disrespectful.

AKBAŞ: WE CALL UPON OUR PEOPLE TO RESIST

Suruç Deputy Co-Mayor Halil Akbaş called upon people to resist the AKP’s seizure of their municipalities and join the protest in front of the municipal building tomorrow. Akbaş recalled that they do not recognize the appointed trustees, described the municipalities as the will of the people.

YILDIRIM: WE ARE CONTINUING OUR WORK

Mazıdağı Co-Mayor Necla Yıldırım recalled that they have been organizing a sit-in near the municipality for the past 8 days, and carrying out their work in the villages. Yıldırım noted that special operation officers have been besieging the municipal building, and expressed her surprise at how a municipality surrounded by police barriers could serve the people. Lastly, Yıldırım affirmed that people, particularly women and the youth, would resist that AKP seizure of their municipality.