In the Kurdish province of Batman, criticism of the municipal administration under a state-appointed trustee continues to escalate. According to local human rights groups and trade unions, sociologist Rojin Akat was assigned to clean public toilets immediately after she filed a criminal complaint against her superior in the Office for Women's and Family Affairs for mobbing and abuse of office.

At the end of May, Rojin Akat, a social worker in the Office for Women's and Family Affairs, suffered a nervous breakdown during work and an ambulance had to be called. That same day, Akat filed a criminal complaint with the police for "abuse of office" against her supervisor, Esen Tunç.

In her written complaint, Akat described in detail the conditions in the office. Despite her qualifications, she was forced to perform tea services, was required to perform private tasks for her superiors, and was pressured to spy on colleagues. When she refused, she was verbally abused and subjected to massive psychological pressure.

Shortly after her complaint, Akat was transferred to the municipal parks department and assigned to clean toilets in a park. When she refused to perform this work, she was assigned to clean the median strip on a busy road in the city center.

Trade union representatives speak of systematic action. Since the dismissal of democratically elected mayor Gülistan Sönük of the DEM Party last November by the Turkish Interior Ministry and the appointment of a trustee in her place, there have been increasing reports of authoritarian and illegal practices against municipal employees. Women and politically unpopular individuals in particular are being deliberately pressured, transferred, or harassed, according to the trade union federation Genel-İş.