Democratic Society Congress (DTK) issued a written statement on the usurpation of HDP’s Amed, Van and Mardin metropolitan municipalities.

“HOSTILE STANCE”

The statement is as follows:

“Bedia Ozgokce Ertan, Adnan Selcuk Mizrakli and Ahmet Turk, HDP’s Co-mayors in Diyarbakir, Mardin and Van, who were elected by 63, 56 and 53 percent of the votes respectively, were removed from office by an unlawful order by the Turkish Ministry of Interior Affairs.

A detention operation against HDP’s party workers, caucus members, municipal workers, DTK delegations and NGO workers has started and continues still. 

Appointing trustees to municipalities is a new, blatant coup and a hostile stand. The Ministry of Interior Affairs is the undertaker of robbing people of rights and freedoms, of provocations, and of decisions and practices that don’t leave behind a shred of democracy. The ministry is a center for coups.

The government and the ministry were disturbed by the prospect of corruption and unlawful practices of the previous term’s trustees coming to light, as the trustees wasted the people’s resources. 

This government has no shred of legitimacy left at all. Usurping the will of the people, stealing the seats they couldn’t win in elections through state violence and duress has become a defining characteristic for this AKP-MHP alliance.

Our people will never approve of these practices under any circumstances and they will uphold their will, their elected representatives and their party.

“DON’T REMAIN SILENT, SILENCE IS APPROVAL”

The AKP government has used the National Will discourse for 18 years, but they are the ones who usurped the will of the people, who refused to recognize the will of the ballots and the elections.

Against this mindset, using all legitimate and democratic methods of struggle is a constitutional right as well as a right derived from universal law that is not open for discussion. We can only achieve democracy through a determined joint struggle by forces for democracy.

We are calling on everybody all around Turkey, all who voted on March 31 or June 23, all who worked to defeat the AKP-MHP alliance and for democracy to win: This is not an issue for only the HDP and the Kurdish people.

This is a common issue for all peoples of Turkey, all Kurdistani parties and all forces of democracy.

As the Democratic Society Congress, we state that we won’t remain silent in the face of injustice and unlawfulness, and we call on all progressive sections of society and the democratic public to take a clear stand.”