A delegation from the Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is carrying out a monitoring visit to Turkey to assess the implementation of the provisions of the European Charter of Local Self-Government which was ratified by Turkey in 1992.

The co-rapporteurs on local and regional democracy in Turkey, Jakob Wienen (The Netherlands, EPP/CCE) and Yoomi Renström (Sweden, SOC) will consider how local and regional democracy has evolved in the country since the adoption of the Congress’ last recommendations in 2011 and 2014. The second part of the monitoring visit will take place in November 2019.

As part of the visit, the delegation on Thursday met with three HDP co-mayors who were removed from the post recently; Diyarbakır Co-mayor Adnan Selçuk Mızraklı, Van Co-mayor Bedia Özgökçe Ertan and Mardin Co-mayor Ahmet Türk.

The co-rapporteurs were accompanied by Stephanie Poirel, Congress Secretary of the Monitoring Committee and European Charter of Local Self Government Congress Independent Expert Angel Manuel Moreno Molina. The meeting in Diyarbakır was also attended by Diyarbakır Municipality HDP Group Co-spokerspersons Halime Bayram and Mehmet Akdoğan.

The meeting discussed the seizure of HDP municipalities and appointment of trustees, unlawful practices against local self governments and the results brought with it.

The co-presidential system employed by the HDP was described as an indispensable principle of politics that consolidates democracy.

Many other unlawful acts including the mass dismissal of municipal employees were discussed by the two delegations.

The co-mayors submitted the CoE delegation a dossier involving the investigations opened against them, the lawsuit petition filed by the dismissed mayors for the suspension of execution and information on the unlawfulness of trustees.