DEM Party leaders protest trustee appointments in capital Ankara

The members of the pro-Kurdish DEM Party marched to the Turkish Parliament in Ankara to protest government-appointed trustees. They condemned the move as a political coup that has spread beyond the Kurdish municipalities to all the opposition front in Turkey.

Thursday February 20 2025 01:12 pm

Ceren Bayar / Gazete Duvar

Turkey's pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party on Feb. 19 gathered at the capital Ankara province to protest the appointment of trustees and made a statement.

Speaking at the gathering, co-chair Tülay Hatimoğulları said, "The Feb. 15 trustee appointment to Van is a barrier to dialogue."

Co-chair Tuncer Bakırhan added, "If we had been able to prevent the trustee appointment in Mardin, today there would be no judicial conspiracies and investigations aimed at appointing a trustee to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. The trustee issue is Turkey's problem," calling for a united struggle.

Before the statement, party members marched in Güven Park, chanting slogans to protest the appointment of trustees.

Hatimoğlu began her statement with the spread of the trustee practice across Turkey. "Initially, trustees were implemented in Kurdish regions. Now, the trustee policy has spread to Istanbul districts and many parts of Turkey, affecting not only opposition municipalities but also other sectors, such as universities whose administrations they disapprove of and companies that are not pro-government," she said.

She called the government's approach "vengeful," condemning the trustee policy and political coup.

The co-chair also held that the trustee appointments sought to seize the financial resources of the Kurdish municipalities. "When we look at all municipalities subjected to the trustee system, we see that trustees, who initially took over debt-free municipalities, left them burdened with enormous debts after elections. They have driven municipalities into debt and failed to provide any services," she added.

Addressing the government, Hatimoğlu said, "You do not serve the Kurdish region; you do not see Kurds as full citizens. You never recognize Kurds as capable of governing themselves, voting, or being elected. At the same time, you deny them essential services. You implement this policy through the governors and district governors you appoint via trustees."

Reiterating the DEM Party's ongoing efforts for a new peace process, the co-chair stated that the party would never abandon its struggle for peace "despite attempts by the government or certain factions within the state to provoke and sabotage peace, despite efforts to undermine dialogue through trustee appointments, arrests, and detentions."

Co-chair Bakırhan's speech focused on the failure of democratic practices for Kurdish citizens.

"We stand for peace. We support the realization of the people's will and the self-governance of their elected local administrators. But this government does not. What is on their agenda is the century-old denial of Kurds. While we discuss peace, they talk about appointing trustees in Van," he said.

After the statement, DEM Party co-chairs, municipal co-mayors, and council members marched toward Parliament.

(English version by Ayşenaz Toptaş)

Topics DEM Party Ankara protest trustee Peace process