At least 2 journalists detained in Turkey during protests against trustees

Duvar English

Protests against the appointment of trustees to the municipalities of Esenyurt district in Istanbul, Mardin Metropolitan, Batman Provincial, and Halfeti district in Şanlıurfa continued on Nov. 5. 

Police violence was reported in many locations during these protests which resulted in detention of many including journalists.

Batman

On the second day of the protests in eastern Batman province, many took to the streets to support elected mayor Gülistan Sönük from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party.

The mass often chanted the slogan, "We will win by resisting," when the police have started another round of brutal attacks like, according to the reporting of daily BirGun.

It was reported that Jin News reporter Pelşin Çetinkaya and Yeni Yaşam journalist Veysi Akören were detained while covering the protests in the province.

The (DİSK) Press Workers' Union said in a statement on X while sharing the footage of police violence against journalists, "Jin News reporter Pelşin Çetinkaya, who was covering the protests, was dragged on the ground by police and detained with handcuffs behind her back. Yeni Yaşam journalist Veysi Akören was also among those detained during the protests. We condemn these attacks on our colleagues and demand their immediate release!"

The Batman Governor’s Office also announced that an investigation has been launched regarding the "conduct and behavior of police officers" during the detention of protestors.

Out of a total of 92 individuals detained during the protests, 75 were detained at the demonstrations in Batman as of Nov. 5.

Mardin

In response to the appointment of trustees to several municipalities, the DEM held its parliamentary group meeting in Mardin province.

Speaking at the meeting, DEM Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları stated, "The purpose of this trustee appointment is to strip citizens of their right to vote and be elected. The aim of this trustee regime is to tell Kurds, 'You can vote, but you can't be elected.' This trustee approach doesn’t just harm Kurds or DEM; it nullifies elections, as seen in the example of Esenyurt."

DEM Parti Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan added, "We extended our hands and held onto every hand extended to us. Every hand is valuable for societal peace; we don’t reject any. But what did we see? It turns out that the hand they extended was to impose a trustee! By appointing trustees, they revealed their true intentions. It was never genuine."

The meeting was also attended by Ahmet Türk, the ousted Mayor of Mardin Metropolitan Municipality, who was replaced by a trustee.

In a statement to the press, Türk said, "A policy aimed at silencing and suppressing Kurds has been pursued for a long time. Today, this policy continues. But when it comes to peace, we will never lose hope in realizing our dreams. We will always carry, nurture, and strive to grow this hope."

Both DEM Party co-chairs, lawmakers and party officials later attend a sit-in protest in Mardin.

Even though Türk was elected as Mardin Mayor three times, he was consequently replaced by trustees.

Halfeti

In house raids conducted in Halfeti, a large number of people were detained and brought to the district’s police headquarters.

It was noted that the number of detainees may increase.

Esenyurt

A main-opposition Republican Party (CHP) delegation, including Deputy Chair Özgür Karabat, Istanbul Provincial Chair Özgür Çelik, Istanbul deputy Enis Berberoğlu, and CHP municipal council members, arrived at the Esenyurt Municipality building this morning.

The government has also appointed a trustee to the CHP-led district municipality, arrested mayor Ahmet Özer, and dissolved the municipality council while barring its members from CHP to enter the building.

As with the previous day, the CHP delegation was denied entry to the building. Noting that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) members were permitted access, the CHP members began chanting, "The day will come, tables will turn, and AKP will answer to the people."

Brawls often broke out amoung the main-opposition members and the police.