VAN, Turkey - A Turkish court sentenced the mayor of Van city to three years and nine months. The Kurdish politician claimed that there is no justice in the country, deeming the ruling political.
"Actually, there is no court, no law, and no justice. This is an order from the government and the [ruling] AKP and MHP," Abdullah Zeydan told Rudaw after a court in Diyarbakir (Amed) sentenced him to three years and nine months for alleged ties with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
The Justice and Development Party (AKP) is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party.
Zeydan, who was the candidate of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), got over 55 percent of the votes in March 2024 local elections, while the runner-up, Abdulahat Arvas, candidate of the AKP, received 27 percent. Zeydan’s candidacy, however, was initially 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 Arvas. Zeydan finally received the mandate to take up his role after protests erupted across the Kurdish-majority southeast in reaction to the move.
"They have decided to once again confiscate the will of the people of Van, so they are trying to pave the way for that. We have been here for ten months, and our people saved the municipality from being confiscated by a trustee by giving a historical response to the AKP’s oppression," Zeydan said on Tuesday.
“We will not allow confiscation,” was one of the slogans of Zeydan’s supporters.
Security measures were increased in the city to prevent further protests.
His supporters were determined to endorse him.
"The Kurdish determination [to fight against] lack of recognition of Kurdish identity and existence [by the state], rather than fighting to keep a municipality. We will win it again. We are standing on our feet and we will resist. Resistance is life," Menderes Dere, Kurdish resident of Van, told Rudaw.
Sadrettin Mavi is another Kurdish resident of Van. He said Turkey does not consider them as its citizens.
"There is nothing good for Kurds. They never consider Kurds as the citizens [of Turkey]. They have confiscated the will of Kurds three times by imposing trustees on Kurdish municipalities three times. Even if we build a cottage in the sky, the Turkish state will try to destroy it and take it down," he said.
Zeydan’s lawyer said the mayor is not expected to be jailed due to the ruling.