Women's organisations in Adana established the initiative ‘Women for Democracy’ against the usurpation of people’s will through trustees appointed to municipalities in the Kurdish region and the rights of women.

The initiative made a press statement in front of Adana Metropolitan Municipality with the slogan “Women for Democracy come together against the trustee regime”.

The women responded to the police blockade with the slogan ‘Jin jiyan azadî’ [Woman, Life, Freedom], applause and chants.

Delal Özbey, who made the statement on behalf of the initiative, stated that they came together against the usurpation of rights and will. Pointing out that 205 cases of femicide were recorded in the first six months of 2024 and 117 women died under suspicious circumstances, Delal Özbey said, “The perpetrators of femicides are also those who withdrew from the Istanbul Convention, want to abolish Law No. 6284, adopt the policy of impunity and want to slaughter our lives on the streets under the name of euthanasia. We do not give up on Law No. 6284 and Law No. 5119 despite the government that is the executor of all these attacks.  Law No. 6284 and Law No. 5119 are ours despite all their shortcomings. We will not allow them to usurp our vested rights in these laws.”

Özbey said: “Today we are making this statement in front of Adana Metropolitan Municipality in support of our municipalities. We are here so that those who appointed trustees to the Hakkari municipality, which they lost in elections, cannot appoint trustees to Adana Metropolitan Municipality.”

Delal Özbey stated that the trustee regime is also a blow to the co-presidency system and said: “We do not accept the trustee administration and the misogynist policies of the trustee administration, which does not recognise the will of the people and the most basic democratic right to elect and be elected, excludes women from social and political life and condemns women to economic, physical and psychological violence. The government, which usurps the will of the people, should give up its policy of appointing trustees to the municipalities that it could not win through elections. We hereby call out to the government and its supporters once again. We will not allow you to usurp our will under the name of trustees and destroy women's achievements. We call on all women to organise and struggle for our rights and lives.”