On August 19 the AKP regime seized the metropolitan municipalities of Amed (Diyarbakır), Van and Mardin by removing the democratically elected co-mayors and appointing trustees in their place.

In tandem with the operation against three municipalities, over 400 people were taken into custody as a result of house raids in dozens of cities. As protest demonstrations continue in three cities since August 19, police forces are systematically attacking the protesters, deputies and residents, and obstructing the journalists.

The sit-in action launched in Van to reclaim the municipality continued on day 15 with the participation of HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party) deputies Muazzez Orhan, Murat Sarısaç, Şevin Coşkun, Habip Eksik, co-mayors and people.

Speaking here, HDP Van MP Muazzez Orhan remarked that the will of the people, who elected co-mayors in March 31 local elections, has been seized through a political coup by the government that doesn’t recognize the people’s will.

Remarking that the country cannot be ruled with policies that are grounded on the denial and annihilation of the Kurdish people, Orhan said that a Turkey where there is no social peace, where the Kurdish people’s will is not recognized and where the Kurdish question is not solved, cannot have a future.

Orhan continued; “The way must be paved for the unity of peoples, for democracy, for the establishment of peace, for a peaceful and democratic solution to the Kurdish question, the major problem of the country, and for an honorable and free life. Trustees are pillaging, theft and corruption, as has been manifested in the reports by the Court of Accounts. Still, the AKP government advocates this corruption and continues with its efforts to suppress all of the opposition and to ignore the will of the people, which means an ongoing failure to bring peace to this country, and leading the future of this country to darkness.”

The HDP MP stressed that they will continue to raise their objection against the removal of democratically elected mayors with unpolitical and baseless reasons.

Orhan also pointed out that they will never make concessions on the co-presidency system, describing it as their red line, and a present of the Kurdish women’s movement to world’s women movements. She said that this cannot be considered a crime.

Orhan vowed that they will continue their struggle to the end and called for increased objections against the trustee mentality.