Protesting the detention of Hakkari (Colemêrg) Municipality co-mayor Mehmet Sıddık Akış and the appointment of a trustee in his place, the Turkish Bar Associations (TBB) said in a written statement: "Mehmet Sıddık Akış, who was elected mayor of Hakkari in the Local Government Elections of 31 March 2024, was taken into custody on 3 June 2024 within the scope of an investigation carried out by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He was removed from office by the Minister, who appointed the Governor of Hakkari and trustee of Hakkari. From the information provided, it is understood that the allegations against Mehmet Sıddık Akış date back to before the local government elections, that there is a prosecution numbered 2014/173 against him, and that another recent investigation has been opened, and that the said prosecution and investigation were taken as basis for the decision to suspend him from duty."

The statement said: "Dismissal of the mayor of a province, ignoring the presumption of innocence, means an excessive intervention in the right to elect and be elected, which is the basis of democracy."

Demanding that the right to vote and be elected be respected, the TBB said: "In accordance with the principle of parallelism in authority and procedure, the Ministry of Internal Affairs should immediately revoke its decision and reinstate the mayor to his post. The regulation added to the Municipality Law in 2016 should be changed, and practices that would interfere with the right to vote and be elected without a judicial decision should be avoided."