Cizre co-mayor Leyla İmret, who never left her people alone as they were subjected to the attacks of police and special operation teams that claimed the lives of 21 civilians during the 9-days long curfew in the district, said the decision for her removal from post was in fact a message to people of Cizre that “I punish you and I confiscate your will”.

While terrorizing the people of Cizre on one hand, the war government has on the other hand removed Leyla İmret, the co-mayor of the district, as a result of an investigation launched against her because of her remarks in an interview to VICE News. İmret was accused of “inciting people to armed rebellion against the Turkish Republic” and “spreading propaganda of a terrorist organisation” on the grounds of her words “I can say that we are pursuing a civil war in Turkey”.

In the local elections of 30 March 2014, İmret received a record vote of 83 percent, ranking among the youngest mayors in Turkey, as well as becoming the first female co-mayor of Cizre. İmret was all the time standing by the people in neighborhoods during last week's curfew in the town.

Stressing that a great persecution and violence was imposed on people during the 9-days curfew as Turkish forces adhered to no laws, İmret said the followings as to what she witnessed during those days; ““What the people of Cizre went through during those days is known only by them and the God. They suffered the most brutal of all attacks, the greatest of all repressions and the heaviest of all guns. Their houses were attacked, they were deprived of electricity and water. Even the municipality was hindered from delivering water to houses. The curfew and ban became heavier in the following days, in line with which the number of casualties also increased. The state forces massacred the innocent civilians; children, women, youth and elderly all alike. Still, the spirit of resistance and the morale of the people always remained high. They remained in the streets, made noise-making actions and resisted for days despite the curfew. The attackers gained nothing but the deaths”.

The co-mayor said she could not obtain any news from outside and reach anyone despite being the co-mayor of the district, noting that she could only learn about what was going on in the streets by calling the fire department. She stressed that the curfew was lifted as a result of the resistance waged by the people against the attacks and the sensitivity arising among the public opinion.

İmret went on saying that on the basis of a distorted news, she was unlawfully removed from her post while under fire alongside the people. She added that she learned about the decision only hours later as the curfew was going on in the district.

“I learned about the decision from the TV reports yet before I myself was notified about it. The decision for my removal is a political one. The investigation against me was started because of an interview I gave to VICE News in August when children such as Nihat Kazanhan were being killed in Cizre. The interview was about those issues at that time. However, my remarks were distorted and the state unlawfully confiscated the will of the people”, she explained.

İmret said her removal from post was a message to people of Cizre, adding that she would take the necessary judicial steps against this unlawful decision.