The Hakkari Municipality won by the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) in the 31 March local elections was usurped by a government-appointed trustee on 3 June. Co-Mayor Mehmet Sıddık Akış, who was removed from office by the decision of the Turkish Ministry of Interior, was arrested with a prison sentence of 19 years and 6 months in a case that has been ongoing for 10 years.

The DEM Party Group Deputy Chairperson Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit and an accompanying delegation visited Yüksekova District Municipality in Hakkari on the occasion of Eid al-Adha. MPs Hüseyin Olan and Ömer Faruk Hülakü accompanied Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit during the visit. The delegation was welcomed by Yüksekova Municipality co-mayors Şoreş Diri and Şadiye Kırmızıgül, municipal council members and party executives.

Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit stated that the government attacks the Kurds whenever it finds itself in a deadlock, saying, "With these attacks, it is trying to remain standing and to destroy all the hard-won gains of the Kurdish people. The trustees have no legitimacy. The people showed their reactions from all over Turkey and Kurdistan.”

Stating that democratic mass organisations, political parties and all peoples will prevent oppression as long as they stand side by side against the trustee usurpation and injustice, Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit said, "Nothing is over. Just as we fought on the streets with our people on the first day of the trustee appointment, we will continue our struggle with various actions and events after this process. We will continue to resist and speak out against the trustee usurpation. We will continue our struggle without deviating from this path until the trustees leave. Our struggle will continue uninterruptedly until Hakkari Municipality is returned to the people of Hakkari, until the municipal council members elected by the people return to their duties."

Remarking that they will organise a big rally in Istanbul against the usurpation, Koçyiğit continued as follows: "In all our rallies, we will continue to denounce the oppression of the AKP-MHP fascist government. With these rallies, we will show that we continue to resist no matter what. Yüksekova and Hakkari have always been an example and guide for the resistance and stance of the Kurdish people. We will win no matter what. History will write those who resist. History will write about the resistance of the people of Yüksekova and Hakkari. Those who oppress the people will one day go to the dustbin of history. Our struggle is for that process to come immediately. Let no one have any doubt, we will resist."