Sit-in protest in eastern Turkey continues after mayor's prison sentence

Sit-in protests in eastern Turkey's Van province have entered a second day after Co-Mayor Abdullah Zeydan’s sentencing. Hundreds gathered near the municipal building, chanting and dancing despite freezing temperatures.

Wednesday February 12 2025 02:23 pm

Crowds gather in front of the municipality building upon the sentencing of co-mayor Zeydan.

Kadir Cesur / Gazete Duvar

The sit-in protest outside Van Metropolitan Municipality continues into its second day on Feb. 12, after Co-Mayor Abdullah Zeydan from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party received a three-year, nine-month prison sentence.

New delegations arrived in the eastern Van province to join the protest on its second day. DEM Party Group Deputy Chair Sezai Temelli, Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayor Serra Bucak, and regional deputies joined the sit-in early in the morning.

DEM Party Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları and the pro-Kurdish Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chair Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar also arrived in the city. Deputies and Abdullah Zeydan marched from Cumhuriyet Street toward the municipal building.

Police blocked the group with barricades approximately one kilometer into their march. After objections, the group was allowed to proceed, but police frequently interrupted them, using megaphones to instruct protesters "not to chant slogans or applaud."

Despite the interruptions, the group reached the municipal building, walking between police shields. They were greeted by thousands with cheers and slogans.

Zeydan addressed the crowd, accusing authorities of undermining the people's will through judicial plots. “Those who could not defeat us at the ballot box on March 31 are trying to take over our people's will through judicial coups and schemes,” he said, adding, “They disrespect the will of Van’s 1.2 million residents and appoint bureaucrats to override elected representatives.”

Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayor Serra Bucak also spoke, denouncing the trustee system as a "plot mechanism" and praising Van residents for standing by their elected representatives. “Van’s people will continue this struggle and will win in the end,” she said.

The sit-in continued late into the freezing night of February 11. Despite temperatures dropping to -8°C, hundreds of participants stayed warm around fires and in tents set up outside the municipality. Protesters frequently chanted slogans and danced traditional Kurdish halay to music.

Protesters gather around bonfires to keep warm during the freezing Van night.

Van Co-Mayors Zeydan and Neslihan Şedal did not leave the municipal building during the protest.

Fearing the appointment of a government trustee, regional leaders joined the sit-in, including Diyarbakır Metropolitan Co-Mayor Doğan Hatun, Southeastern Anatolia Municipalities Union Co-President Siraç Çelik, and local deputies.

Hatun addressed the crowd late at night, declaring, “This is our century. They are trying to send us a message, but our response is clear: We are here, standing by our people’s will.”

Çelik echoed Hatun’s sentiments, saying, “No power can stand against this resistance. They fail in elections and resort to plots against our municipalities. But they will never achieve their goals.”

A Turkish court on Feb. 11 sentenced Zeydan prison on charges of "aiding a terrorist organization" and "making propaganda for a terrorist organization through media."

Topics sit-in Van Abdullah Zeydan protest terror charges