The Democratic Regions Party (DBP) and Free Women's Movement (Tevgera Jinen Azad-TJA) made written statements on the arrest of Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer of the CHP (Republican People's Party), who was elected mayor to Istanbul’s Esenyurt district through Urban Consensus in the 31 March local elections this year.

DBP pointed out that the usurpation pf Esenyurt Municipality is the result of the AKP-MHP government's trustee policy against the will of the Kurdish people and their municipalities, which has now spread to Turkey.

DBP pointed out that the AKP could not get results from the usurpation of the will and said, “The AKP-MHP government, which wants to rule Turkey with trustee politics, not only ignores the political and social legitimacy of the people's will, but also almost admits that it can no longer rule the country. We see how the government feeds not on social peace but on social chaos by usurping the right to elect and be elected. We experienced this reality months ago in the cases of Van Metropolitan Municipality and Hakkari Municipality. The 31 March local elections were a strong response to the putschist mindset and politics of the government, and the trustee politics came to naught. The resistance woven by the Kurdish people in Kurdistan, the Third Way Politics, which is based on the will of the people and weaves a common life, has been targeted with this coup. This coup actually lifted the veil of the discourse of social peace and showed that this discourse is not more than just valor.”

Emphasising that it is the Third Way perspective that will secure politics, DBP stated the following: “This system, which extends from the past to the present and still exists today and serves the mentality of ‘one nation, one faith, one gender’ is no longer able to answer the needs of the peoples of Turkey. We know very well that unless a strong democratic political line is established and strengthened, the will of the people will remain under the threat of the coup mechanism. For this reason, we draw attention to the Third Way politics and continue to insist on it for the future of democratic politics. In the case of Esenyurt, once again, it is the Third Way politics that will make politics democratic and secure the will of the people. To deny or ignore this reality is to serve the trustee politics and the coup mechanism.”

TJA defined the arrest of Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer as ‘enemy law’ and stated the following: “The trustee regime, which is a result of the misogynist and anti-Kurdish policies of the government, was applied in Istanbul this time. The file fabricated against Ahmet Özer, who was elected by all peoples with a declaration of will through urban consensus, is a FETÖ tactic. Those who arrest women activists, democracy forces, pro-freedom revolutionaries through conspiracies are those who have not learned the lessons of history.

The people gave the greatest answer to those who had appointed trustees before. With a declaration of will in the elections, they showed their objection to the current government. Those who want to get results by repeating history should give up this mistake. The government, which has been talking about establishing internal peace in the country for days, should match its words with its policies. The only way to achieve social peace in this country is democracy and justice. Women will not give up this quest. The government, an enemy of women and democracy, should know that we will not submit to this usurpation and one-man dictatorship. Women, Kurds and the peoples of Turkey will unite and win through unity. We call on all women and the peoples of Turkey to raise their voice of objection against this lawlessness wherever they are.”