A 6-day 'Respect for the Will March' from Van to Hakkari was launched on 3 July in protest at the appointment of a trustee on 3 June to Hakkari Municipality won by the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) in the 31 March local elections.

On its second day, the march continued in the Gürpınar district of Van following a press statement in Tekmala Şêx Safiyeddîn hamlet.

DEM Party Mardin MP Saliha Aydeniz stated that they are marching for the people of Hakkari and the will of the peoples, "We are marching for the future of Kurdish and Turkish peoples. The AKP-MHP fascist government does not recognise the will of anyone. This march is an opportunity for all peoples. The trustee practice must be reversed. We will fight until this decision is reversed."

Saliha Aydeniz said that the crisis in the country is deepening day by day and continued, "The way out of this crisis is to recognise the will of the people. The trustee is a coup. Kurdish people and their friends are marching against this coup. If this coup continues, this country will turn into an open prison. We are marching not only for the appointment of trustees but also to break the isolation of Mr Öcalan. For the isolation to be broken and for the future of the country, Mr Öcalan must be freed. Our struggle will continue until these policies are ended. The opposition should also know that the path to democracy passes through Hakkari, the freedom of the Kurdish people and the freedom of Mr Öcalan."