The 4 November (2016) political coup, which resulted in the arrest of HDP Co-Chairs and MPs, continued with the trustees appointed to 3 Kurdish municipalities on its 8th anniversary.
The Turkish Ministry of Interior usurped the will of the people and appointed trustees to the municipalities of Mardin (Mêrdîn), Batman (Êlih) and Halfeti (Xelfetî) on 4 November. The three municipalities were legitimately run by the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), which had won the elections on 31 March 2024.
Reactions against the usurpation of the Kurdish people’s will continue, including from abroad.
Marc Cools, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe: I express my deep concern at the recent decisions by the Turkish authorities to dismiss the elected mayors of four municipalities (Mardin, Batman, Halfeti and Esenyurt), and to replace them with governors appointed by the Ministry of the Interior.
After the case of the mayor of Hakkari in June 2024, these dismissals are the most recent application of the long-standing practice of appointing administrators, considered by the Congress and the Venice Commission to undermine the very nature of local democracy. Indeed, these mayors were elected by Turkish voters in the local elections of 31 March 2024, which were observed by the Congress.
‘Only last month, in Recommendation 519(2024), the Congress stressed the need to abolish this practice and called on the authorities to ensure that the ineligibility of candidates is assessed before the elections and based on a final criminal conviction. In the event of the dismissal of a mayor, municipal councils should be able to choose a replacement mayor. The Congress looks forward to continuing its political dialogue with the Turkish authorities to ensure the implementation of this recommendation.
European Greens: The Turkish government has replaced elected DEM Party officials in Mardin, Batman and Halfeti with unelected trustees. Police are responding to peaceful protests with brutal force. We urge Turkey to end the crackdown. Kurdish people have the right to choose their own leaders.
Frank Schwabe, German SPD MP and Chairperson of the Socialist Group of PACE: The mayors of Mardin, Batman and Halfeti are democratically elected. No government has the authority to remove them. They must be allowed to resume their duties immediately.
EU Turkey Civic Commission: The Interior Ministry has appointed trustees in Mardin, Batman and Urfa’s Halfeti district. It was only on 25 October 2024 that the Kurdish mayor of İstanbul’s Esenyurt district, Turkey’s largest district, was removed from office and imprisoned. Shortly after the local elections, a trustee had already been appointed in Hakkari.
Turkey is carrying out these measures without any consequences. In particular, the European Union and the European institutions, above all the Council of Europe, tolerate this behaviour. The available options for sanctions do not apply in the context of Turkey.
This is in favour of Turkey’s anti-democratic and anti-Kurdish policy. This is absolutely unacceptable. Unambiguous answers and sanctions are needed in the spirit of democracy, the rule of law and respect for the will of the voters.
Fabian Molina, Member of the National Council of Switzerland for the Social Democratic Party: Disturbing news from Turkey: The appointment of trustees in Mardin, Batman and Halfeti to oust the elected mayors is a serious blow to democracy and violates the European Charter of Local Self-Government. The people in Turkey have the right to elect their own political leaders!
Lotta J Fornarve, Member of the Swiss Left Party: 3 democratically elected mayors from Dem Parti in Mardin, Batman, Halfeti, has been deposed and replaced by regime loyalists. The left party condemns this and calls on Turkey to respect democracy and the will of the people. All solidarity with the people in Mardin, Batman, Halfeti.
Cansu Özdemir, Co-chair of the Left Party Group in the Hamburg Parliament: A renewed attack on local democracy by the regime in Ankara! The AKP is dismissing the elected co-mayors in the northern Kurdish cities of Mardin, Batman and Halfeti and replacing them with obedient followers of the regime.
Republican Left of Catalonia: We are deeply concerned about the latest developments in Turkish Kurdistan. The will of the people is being undermined by the government. We stand in solidarity with the DEM Party and call for the reinstatement of local authorities in Mardin, Batman and Halfeti.
Emma Sinclair-Webb, Human Rights Watch (HRW) Europe and Central Asia Associate Director: Erdoğan's government removes 3 more elected Kurdish mayors, among them veteran politician Ahmet Türk, on 8th anniversary of the wrongful and politically motivated imprisonment of Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, former chairs of the HDP. Free them now, implement the ECtHR judgments.
