Hundreds rally in Istanbul against pro-Kurdish mayor dismissal, trustee appointment

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Hundreds gathered in Istanbul’s Sishane square on Monday to protest a decision by the Turkish interior ministry to dismiss a pro-Kurdish mayor from his position two months after being elected in the local elections, and replace him with a state-appointed trustee.

Turkey’s interior ministry on Monday announced that Mehmet Siddik Akis, the recently elected co-mayor of the Kurdish province of Hakkari (Colemerg), has been dismissed from his duties, citing alleged links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) announced in a statement that Turkish security forces stormed Hakkari’s town hall on Monday morning and took Akis into custody.

The statement from the Turkish ministry accused Akis of holding “high-level” positions within the PKK and the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK).

Hakkari governor Ali Celik, from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), was appointed as acting mayor.

In Istanbul, DEM Party officials and supporters gathered in Sishane square in the Beyoglu district to protest the decision. DEM Party co-chair Tulay Hatimogullari labeled the decision as a “political coup”.

“Today, another coup occurred in this country. When the AKP came to power, it set out to liberate society and Turkey from the tutelage regime and coup mentality. However, now it has carried out a political coup for the third time by appointing trustees to the municipalities of the DEM Party,” Hatimogullari said.

Following the 2019 local elections, the Turkish government removed the elected mayors of the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) from their offices and replaced them with trustees. This was the outcome for the majority of the municipalities where the pro-Kurdish party had won. A large number of the elected officials were arrested, and many of them remain in jail for alleged links with the PKK. Similarly in 2016, the Turkish government ousted elected pro-Kurdish mayors from their posts and replaced them with trustees. 

Hatimogullari said that the removal of the mayor is a usurpation of the Kurds’ will.

“A trustee has been appointed to usurp the will of the Kurds and take away their right to vote and be elected. By saying that you do not have the capacity to vote and be elected, they are essentially stripping the Kurdish people of their citizenship,” she said.

Following the decision, Hakkari governorate announced a 10-day ban on protests and public gatherings, starting on Monday morning.

Turkish opposition leaders protested the decision to remove Akis.

“We reject the operation conducted on the Hakkari Municipality in the early hours of the morning, resulting in the detention of the mayor and the appointment of a trustee,” Ozgur Ozel, the leader of the opposition’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) said on X.

“What has happened is a disregard for the will of the Hakkari people, expressed just 2 months ago. The appointment of the trustee must be revoked,” he added.

Akis received the highest number of votes during March 31’s municipal mayoral elections in Hakkari, obtaining around 49 percent of the votes. He shared the mayoral position with fellow DEM Party member Viyan Tekce.

Days after the local elections, Abdullah Zeydan, the elected mayor of the Kurdish city of Van, had his win in the vote revoked by a court acting on a last-minute request by the justice ministry, and the Van branch of the election board handed the win to Abdulahat Arvas, candidate of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Following widespread protests across the Kurdish provinces, the decision was overturned, and Zeydan received his mandate to take up his role as the mayor of Van.