The protests that started in Batman after the removal of the elected co-mayors and the appointment of a trustee in their place on 4 November continue on the 12th day. Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chair Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar, Free Women’s Movement (TJA) activists, Peoples‘ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) MPs, Peace Mothers’ Assembly members and many people attended the protest on Friday.

Masses marched from Yılmaz Güney Park to Basın Junction, where a press statement was made.

DEM Party Mersin MP Ali Bozan drew attention to the government's plunder policy and said, “The biggest trustee is sitting in the palace. Erdoğan is the one who created the trustee regime. Trusteeship is plunder, theft and usurpation of will. Mr Abdullah Öcalan has been subject to aggravated isolation for 25 years. We will eliminate both the trustee and the isolation regime. We salute the resistance of the people of Batman, who have been resisting for 12 days.”

DEM Party Amed (Diyarbakır) MP Cengiz Çandar stated that the people of the city have been putting up honourable resistance against the usurpation of their will for 12 days. Stating that the whole world has seen the resistance of the people of Batman, Çandar said, “The trustee is a riot against the future of peace and democracy. After 8 years of trustee administration, the people elected their will and took back the municipalities. However, Ankara said ‘no, you cannot govern yourselves’. It could not tolerate democracy and the will of the Kurdish people was usurped. There are legal initiatives by the bar associations to reverse the trustee decision. This lawlessness should be abandoned. Trustee is plunder, resistance is life. Greetings to our resisting people.”

Songül Korkmaz, Co-Chair of DEM Party Batman Provincial Organisation, called for strong participation in the Democracy and Freedom Rally to be held on 17 November and said, “We invite all our people to the DEM Party Provincial Building at 13.00 on Sunday.”