Mehmet Sıddık Akış of the DEM Party was elected the Mayor of Hakkari province, winning 48.92 percent of the vote in the elections held on 31 March. He was taken into custody in Van on 3 June morning and the municipality was blockaded. The Turkish Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that Akış was suspended from duty and a trustee was appointed in his place.

Following the detention of Hakkari Co-Mayor Mehmet Sıdık Akış and the appointment of a trustee to the municipality, the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) started a vigil in front of the municipalities it won in the 31 March local elections.

Diyarbakır

Vigil actions have been started in front of Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality, Bağlar, Kayapınar, Yenişehir, Sur and Bismil district municipalities. Co-mayors of the municipalities, DEM Party, DBP provincial and district executives are also taking part in the protest. In Kayapınar, the crowd reacted with applause against the police who wanted to prevent the crowd from chanting slogans.

Siirt

In Siirt, the banner ‘Municipalities are ours, we will not allow usurpation’ was hung on the municipality building. In addition to Co-Mayors Sofya Alağaş and Mehmet Kaysi and MP Sabahat Erdoğan Sarıtaş, residents of the city are also participating in the vigil. Vigils are also held in Kurtalan and Veysel Karani municipalities.

Batman

In Batman, dozens of people gathered in front of the municipality buildings against the usurpation of Hakkari Municipality. People in front of the municipality continue to wait with the slogan ‘Pressures cannot deter us’.

Also, in other cities, marches, statements and public meetings are being organised against the appointment of a trustee in Hakkari. The actions will continue until the usurpation decision is withdrawn. Lawyers, trade unions, civil society organisations, writers, artists and activists will also be involved in the process.

The actions started with a protest march in the city centre of Hakkari last night, in which hundreds of people participated, including the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chairs Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar and Keskin Bayındır, and  Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) MPs.  Despite the police blockade, the crowd marched along the central avenues and chanted slogans such as ‘We will win by resisting’ and ‘We don't want a thieving mayor’. The elected politicians then staged a sit-in in the city center.

Today, masses have taken to the streets across the country for the second day and protested against the usurpation of Hakkari Municipality.