"Clashes during the 'trustee' protest in front of the Mediterranean Municipality."

The co-mayors of Mersin's Mediterranean Municipality, Hoşyar Sarıyıldız and Nuriye Arslan, along with 4 council members, were detained during a morning raid. The Mersin Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation against the mayors and 5 municipal council members for the crime of "making terrorist propaganda." While the allegations of "trustees" remain on the agenda, no official statement has yet been made regarding whether a trustee has been appointed to the municipality. DEM Party members of parliament and citizens gathered in front of the municipal building to protest the detention decision.

SCUFFLE AT THE PROTEST

DEM Party members of parliament and citizens attempted to march to the Mediterranean Municipality building for protest purposes. However, the police blockade prevented the group from proceeding. A brief scuffle occurred between the protesters and the riot police, who surrounded the municipality with iron barriers and water cannons, and security forces who did not allow entry or exit to the area. After the scuffle, the group began a vigil protest. While waiting in front of the municipal building, the group also sang songs in Kurdish.

"OUR YOUTH HAS BEEN STOLEN FROM US"

One of the protesters stated that the trustee policies mean usurpation of will, saying, "Whether they entered my home or my will, it makes no difference." A young person in the group shouted, "I have no life left, I can't even dream anymore, our youth has been stolen from us, I want to kill myself, enough already."

"WE ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE"

Nizar Esen, Co-Chair of the DEM Party Mediterranean District Organization, stated, "Let them provide a reason for being here. They have nothing to explain to us humanely. There is only usurpation, only theft. They will return to their homes in the evening. I wonder what stories of theft they will tell their children. But they are working against the hopes of our children. We will never accept this. Here we are, we are not going anywhere."

"THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE HAS BEEN USURPED"

DEM Party Mersin MP Ali Bozan reacted to the detention of the co-mayors and MPs, stating, "We came here at night and wanted to learn the reason for the operation, but we were not given any information. We were only told, 'Entry to the Mediterranean Municipality is prohibited by trustee decision.' However, no official statement has been made regarding the appointment of a trustee to the municipality until this hour. Even the entry of Mediterranean staff to the municipality is not allowed. If our mayors and council members had not been detained today, they would have been providing services right now. The Mediterranean Municipality cannot provide services during working hours. We know the trustee mentality. We have known it since 2016. Right now, the will of all citizens living in this city has been usurped by a trustee. The trustee issue is not just a matter for the Kurds, nor is it just a matter for the DEM Party. If the will of the people is being seized here today, the will of citizens living in Edirne, Manisa, Trabzon, and Artvin has also been usurped. We call on the government; you are making a mistake. You are acting unlawfully. When you appoint a trustee to the Mediterranean Municipality while holding talks with the DEM Party delegation, no one believes in your sincerity regarding wanting real peace, brotherhood, and tranquility in this country."

"ABANDON THE TRUSTEE POLICY"

Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayor Ayşe Serra Bucak Küçük stated, "Unfortunately, since the local elections on March 31, 2024, all segments that believe in democracy and freedom in Turkey, representatives of Kurdish political freedom and democratic politics, journalists, and civil society organizations have pointed out the importance of respecting the outcome of these local elections, but there is a political mind that does not understand this importance of local democracy. This mind continues to speak of peace and democracy in this country while simultaneously appointing trustees to our municipalities. Unfortunately, this morning, a trustee was appointed to our Mersin Mediterranean municipality. Our Co-Mayors Hoşyar Sarıyıldız and Nuran, along with council members, were detained. We want to express once again that our Co-Mayors of the Mediterranean Municipality and the elected council members are the will of the people. They were elected through a free election; they are the representatives of the people. We want to reiterate that this trustee policy must be abandoned. The trustee policy will not bring democracy, equality, freedom, and peace to this country. On the contrary, it will plunge this country into more darkness."

CHP ALSO REACTED

Reactions to the detentions also came from the CHP. The party's Deputy Chair Deniz Yücel stated, "Another one has been added to the anti-democratic trustee practices of the AKP, which thinks it can lull the nation with the fairy tales of 'Turkey's Century' and 'Advanced Democracy'! An understanding that is so afraid of democracy, the ballot box, and the will of the people cannot govern this country. This nation will show you a red card in the first election."

CHP Deputy Chair Burhanettin Bulut also stated, "The paving of the way for detentions and the appointment of a trustee to the Mediterranean Municipality is a blow to democracy and the will of the people. We reject the government's usurpation of municipalities it could not win at the ballot box and the tyranny of trustees."