In Amed (Diyarbakır), DEM Party, DBP Amed Provincial Organizations and Free Women's Movement (Tevgera Jinen Azad-TJA)) led a march with the slogan “Democracy, not trustees” against the appointment of trustees to Mêrdîn (Mardin) Metropolitan, Êlih (Batman) and Xelfetî (Halfeti-Urfa) municipalities by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. DEM Party Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları, Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chair Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar, co-mayors of municipalities and representatives of non-governmental organizations participated in the march. 

 

Thousands of people gathered at Şêx Seîd (Dağkapı) Square. The mass marched towards Keçi Burcu. During the march, slogans such as “AKP will answer to the people” and “Jin jiyan azadi (Women, life, freedom)” were chanted. “We will not give way to the trustees who usurp the will of the people” banner was unfurled during the march. 

 

'THEY WANT TO BRING EVERYONE TO THEIR KNEES'

 

DEM Party Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları saluted the resistance of the people of Amed and said that the trustees usurped the rights of all peoples in the cities. Hatimoğulları said that the appointment of trustees is illegal, and people came together against the trustees. 

 

Hatimoğulları stated that the appointment of trustees in Esenyurt is a blow to the urban consensus. 

 

“They don't want the Turks to stand with the Kurds, they don't want the peoples to stand side by side. By appointing trustees to the western municipalities, they want to bring everyone who opposes them to their knees. But at the same time, they want to give the resources of the municipalities to a handful of cronies. This is why we reject the trusteeship. Even in the Court of Accounts reports, there are the thefts of the trustees. This regime, like thieves, gangsters and mafia, is collapsing the will of the people in every sense. Will we allow this? We are hearing some rumours these days. Some AKP MPs and mayoral candidates who lost the elections are lying at the door of the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Minister of Justice. Do you know why, they are ordering trustees. They are saying, appoint trustees in that city and in this city, we didn't get elected, let's steal the will of the people and carry the gang and mafia politics into the future. Will we give them a pass, dear people of Amed?” she asked.  

 

Hatimoğulları reminded that Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been congratulate the judiciary for the appointment of trustees and asked why this judiciary could not find the murderers of 8-year-old Narin Güran. 

 

WE ARE OPEN TO NEGOTIATIONS AND HONOURABLE PEACE

 

Hatimoğulları stated that the Kurdish issue and the isolation of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan have been discussed in recent days and said that the Kurdish issue is one of the obstacles to Turkey's democratization. 

 

“We are a party that fights for the resolution of the Kurdish issue with an honourable peace. We have said that we are open to dialogue and negotiation in solving this issue. We are open to dialogue and negotiation and an honourable peace. If there is no honourable peace, if there is a desire to liquidate the opposition behind this, we cannot be here, we will not be here, just like when you appointed trustees. We will continue our democratic resistance and struggle. This is how much and clearly we have expressed our problem in this process.”  

 

'WE WILL CONTINUE OUR STRUGGLE FOR PEACE TOGETHER'

 

Addressing the Justice and Development Party and the Nationalist Movement Party, Hatimoğlulları said that they should stop bringing war and conflict to the agenda in order not to talk about the economic problems in the country. 

 

Noting that the Kurdish people will not give up their struggle for peace, Hatimoğulları continued her words as follows: “Peace is power, peace is honourable, peace is brave, peace is effective. Those who have interests, those who think about the interests of a group of people are afraid of peace. We want peace as peoples. We will continue our struggle for peace together. The struggle against the trusteeship is also a struggle for peace. Defending Narin is also a struggle for peace. Opposing hunger and poverty is also a struggle for peace, opposing femicides is also a struggle for peace. Let it be known that we are not withdrawing from any field, we will continue to struggle everywhere as we always have. We will win by resisting, we will establish honourable peace together.”

 

The statement ended with a sit-in protest.