Masses have gathered in front of the Amed Municipality today as well to demand the release of Amed Metropolitan Municipality Co-mayors Gültan Kışanak and Fırat Anlı.

Democratic Society Congress (DTK) co-chair Leyla Güven, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş, Democratic Regions' Party (DBP) co-chair Kamuran Yüksek and Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK) Co-Spokesperson Ertuğrul Kürkçü have also joined the people in front of the municipality today.

HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş made a statement to the press here, firstly extending his thanks to the people who remain in front of the municipality in protest at the detention of Co-mayors Gültan Kışanak and Fırat Anlı.

Highlights from the statement of Demirtaş are as follows:

"On behalf of my party I thank all of you for supporting the municipality since the first moment this unlawful practice began. There is no internet connection in any city in Northern Kurdistan for two days. The opposition televisions have been seized and confiscated. Press members are covering the news but the centers they are affiliated to will not publish those news for fear from the Palace.

Still, we will visit every house and every citizen one by one, and tell what is going on. We will take care of each other without accepting these happenings like ordinary incidents. Nobody has the right to commit a crime before justice, whether it is an ordinary citizen or a president. None of us has a freedom to commit a crime but there needs to be fair trial for us to accept to be tried. What we oppose is not trial. There is nothing left as judiciary. Why would the AKP's law commission try us? Do we have to give a statement to such a prosecutor? We are just against the prosecutors that act in line with the perspective of the Palace.

If our mayors happen to engage in theft, we will be the first to punish them. Let me state this clearly again: Our co-mayors, Kışanak and Anlı in the first place, have always mobilized their means for peace. Nobody can accuse our municipalities of supporting terror and violence.

If you are in search of people that support terror, look at Ankara and Istanbul first. Look at Topbaş and Gökçek to see who supports terror. Look at those who gave half of Istanbul and Ankara to the Gülen community. If the allegations are true, then they should prove one penny being spent by our municipality for this purpose. This is an utter lie. There is no such a thing.

We have always faced with early elections so far, but this will not be the case from now on as we will resist until our municipalities are returned to us.

They shall give us everything they have stolen and confiscated from us. We demand the return of our co-mayors to their positions, and the return of the people's will. We will not accept any other option. We will not bow down and we will continue standing up. Everyone will take to the streets and take no steps back until we attain a result. Those resorting to violence should know that the people are not sheep to sacrifice. We will bring freedom and we will achieve this by not surrendering but resisting."