Breaking News: First statement from DEM Party following the appointment of a trustee to Hakkari Municipality!
Following the appointment of a trustee to Hakkari Municipality, DEM Party member Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit stated, "What is being applied right now is state of emergency law; is this normalization? Is this the first step you are taking for a democratic constitution?"
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Mehmet Sıddık Akış, the mayor of Hakkari Municipality, which was won by the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) in the March 31 Local Elections, was detained in Van during an operation.
Following Akış's detention, the Ministry of Interior announced in a statement that Governor Ali Çelik had been appointed as the Deputy Mayor of Hakkari Municipality. Following these developments, the Hakkari Governorship banned all kinds of protests, including marches, meetings, press statements, and sit-in protests, throughout the province for 10 days.
Regarding the removal from office, the Ministry of Interior cited a lawsuit filed against Akış on charges of "membership in a terrorist organization" and "making propaganda for an organization" and an ongoing investigation.
DEM PARTY ANNOUNCES MYK DECISIONS
The first statement on the matter came from the DEM Party.
DEM Party Group Deputy Chairperson Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit announced her party's Central Executive Committee (MYK) decisions.
"What is being applied right now is state of emergency law; is this normalization? Is this the first step you are taking for a democratic constitution?" said Koçyiğit, announcing that the trustee decision would be protested.
Koçyiğit announced that Tülay Hatimoğulları would hold a press conference in Şişhane at 18:00.
Koçyiğit's statements are as follows;
What is being applied right now is state of emergency law; is this normalization? Is this the first step you are taking for a democratic constitution? The municipality's total debt is 348 million. Despite this, they have been trying to serve the public since the day they arrived. Local governments are the capillaries of democracy. The will of the people was manifested through elections. The anti-democratic practices of those who lost the political competition at the ballot box will never change this fact. We invite the entire democratic public to show their reaction in the strongest possible way. From politicians to civil society, from intellectuals and artists to everyone whose heart beats for democracy, everyone must speak out against this trustee lawlessness. This decision is a major conspiracy set up against Turkey's democracy and the opposition. It is actually a major trap trying to divide the opposition and divide the struggle for democracy.
We will use our democratic rights in Hakkari to the fullest and we will defend our municipality, which belongs to our people, to the end. We will begin vigil protests.
A press conference will be held in Istanbul Şişhane today at 18:00. Our Co-Chairperson Tülay Hatimoğulları will also be there.
WHO IS MEHMET SIDDIK AKIŞ
Mehmet Sıddık Akış was born in 1970 in the Çukurca district of Hakkari. Having completed his primary, secondary, and high school education in the city center, Akış has served in various levels of his party since 1992. Akış, who served as provincial chairman between 2008-2012, was elected as a Provincial General Assembly Member in 1999. Akış is married and a father of 4 children.