 in the Akdeniz district of southern Mersin province during early-morning raids, the Turkish edition of Voice of America (VOA) reported Friday, citing a statement from the party.){kind=link}
Turkish authorities have detained two co-mayors from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) in the Akdeniz district of southern Mersin province during early-morning raids, the Turkish edition of Voice of America (VOA) reported Friday, citing a statement from the party.
In addition to Akdeniz Municipality Co-mayors Hoşyar Sarıyıldız and Nuriye Aslan, police also detained city council members Özgür Çağlar, Hikmet Bakırhan and Neslihan Oruç.
In a statement on X announcing the detentions, the DEM Party also said the co-mayors were replaced by state-appointed trustees amid the government’s escalating pressure on opposition-run municipalities.
“The investigation cited as the reason for the detentions and trustee appointments reportedly dates back to 2024. We are well aware of these methods, which have been part of the coup-like practices the government has carried out against the people’s will for years. … We will continue to oppose this trustee mentality and defend the will of our people everywhere,” the party said.
AKP iktidarı halk iradesine karşı darbeci pratiklerinden vazgeçmiyor. Sabah saatlerinde Mersin Akdeniz Belediyesi Eş Başkanlarımız Hoşyar Sarıyıldız ve Nuriye Aslan ile 4 belediye meclis üyemiz gözaltına alındı. Halkın belediyesi daha önceki örneklerden tanık olduğumuz üzere… pic.twitter.com/Wkg0rC2psg
— DEM Parti (@DEMGenelMerkezi) January 10, 2025
No statement has yet been issued by the Ministry of Interior or the Mersin Governor’s Office regarding the reasons for the appointment of trustees or the detentions.
DEM Party Co-chairs Tülay Hatimoğulları and Tuncer Bakırhan condemned the detentions and trustee appointments in Mersin in separate messages on X, saying the government’s actions constitute a blow to the will of the people in Akdeniz and reiterating their resolve not to yield to government oppression.
“Although the government faces defeat in every election, it remains relentless in its insistence on the trustee coup. This persistence represents a denial of the people’s right to vote and be elected. … We will never waver in our struggle,” Hatimoğulları said in a tweet.
Akdeniz belediye Eş Başkanlarımız Nuriye Aslan ve Hoşyar Sarıyıldız’ın gözaltına alınması, halk iradesine yönelik gerçekleştirilmiş açık bir darbedir.
Her seçimde yenilgiye uğrasa da iktidar, kayyım darbesinde ısrarcı. Bu ısrar; halkın seçme ve seçilme hakkının elinden… https://t.co/xPgspFVXkj
— Tülay Hatimoğulları (@TulayHatim) January 10, 2025
Bakırhan also said the government’s “hostile” actions targeting the political will of the people in Akdeniz reflect its broader goal of undermining democratic politics and dismantling local governance.
“No matter the cost, we will fight against the trustee coups and defend the will of our people under all circumstances,” he added.
Akdeniz Belediye Eşbaşkanlarımız Nuriye Arslan ve Hoşyar Sarıyıldız ile Meclis üyelerimiz siyasi kumpasla gözaltına alındı.
Akdeniz’de yaşayan halkların siyasi iradesine yönelik sergilenen bu düşmanca tutumla demokratik siyasetin ve yerel yönetimlerin tasfiyesi hedeflenmektedir.… pic.twitter.com/313hgv9ays
— Tuncer BAKIRHAN (@tuncerbakirhan) January 10, 2025
“We will not allow coups or fascism to prevail,” DEM Party’s Mersin lawmaker Perihan Koca said in a tweet, calling on people to gather in front of the Akdeniz municipal building to demonstrate their commitment to defending their will.
#AkdenizBelediyesi halkındır.
Kayyım atamak halkın iradesine darbeden başka bir şey değil!
Akdeniz Bizimdir!
Darbeye, faşizme geçit vermeyeceğiz!
10.00’da Akdeniz Belediye önünde irademize sahip çıkmaya davet ediyoruz.#KayyımDarbedir #AkdenizBizimdir pic.twitter.com/BAEot74xu9
— Perihan Koca (@PerihanKoca) January 10, 2025
The Turkish government has removed 154 mayors from office, most often on accusations related to terrorism, in the last eight years, replacing them with government-appointed trustees, according to a recent report published by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
The report, titled “Government Trustee Interventions: Threats to Democracy and the Constitution in Local Elections,” argues that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has used the practice to override election results and tighten control over opposition-held municipalities.
The majority of trustee appointments occurred in 2016 after a failed coup, when the Turkish government declared a state of emergency and carried out a massive purge of state institutions and other entities under the pretext of an anti-coup fight. Sixty municipalities were placed under trustee control that year, followed by 38 in 2019 and 16 in 2020. Some municipalities have faced repeated interventions.
Forty-nine municipalities were under trustee administration ahead of Turkey’s March 2024 local elections. Of those, nine were later won by the AKP or its ally, the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
The AKP government has also taken over several municipalities controlled by the DEM Party and the CHP following March elections, citing terrorism-related court ruling and ongoing investigations into them.
The recent removal of mayors has come as a disappointment to many, leading to protests and calls on the government from various segments of society to end the controversial practice and respect the will of the Kurdish people and government opponents.
In previous instances of trustee appointments, the Turkish government claimed the removal of Kurdish mayors was a counterterrorism measure and that the elected mayors were funneling municipal funds to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.
The mayors denied the accusations and described them as politically motivated.