Dismissed HDP Mayors Respond to Allegations

Click to read the article in Turkish

Removed from office by the Ministry of Interior on August 19, dismissed Metropolitan Mayors of Van, Mardin and Diyarbakır Bedia Özgökçe Ertan, Ahmet Türk and Selçuk Mızraklı attended a live program aired on Halk TV channel yesterday evening (August 28).

Answering the questions of Serhan Asker and Cüneyt Akman, three dismissed mayors-elect from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) recounted what they have gone through since they were dismissed and raised concerns over the debts and invoices of previous trustee period.

Türk: Let's examine the documents with minister

Dismissed Metropolitan Mayor of Mardin Ahmet Türk:

"It is understood from the documents that they were going to dismiss us when we took office, but as İstanbul elections were annulled, they postponed it. I call on to the Minister of Interior: He can come and we can examine the documents together. To whom or where did we send money? There was an inspector at the municipality since the day we came into office.

"Always the mentality of regarding the ones who think differently as terrorists... The mindset of 'You are either in favor of me or a terrorist'... Something like that does not happen in a democratic country. The ones who have lost their power are trying to remain powerful with threats. They resort to it to persuade and deceive the apolitical.

'No one can be free on their own'

"We know that a Turkey that wins over the Kurds will become the most powerful and prosperous country of the Middle East. We are going through a very painful period today. We are not in peace.

"The peoples of Turkey should know that our struggle is not only for the Kurds. It is a struggle that we wage for democracy and a common future of our peoples. We also know that nothing will be solved with weapons, our people know that as well, everyone knows it.

"No one can be free on their own. Everyone needs to be free. We have Syriac, Armenian MPs. While [main opposition CHP Chair Kemal] Kılıçdaroğlu was holding his Justice March, we marched with him side by side. They say, 'Look at the separatists, they march arm in arm'.

'They hired people when municipality was closed'

[About the allegation that relatives of deceased soldiers were dismissed] "As per the Law no. 657 on Civil Servants, two people are hired from each family. They hired one person one day before the election on March 30, a Saturday. One person was hired on April 4 and another on April 5. After the election... You cannot employ people when the municipality is closed.

"The second one was videotaped while taking a package of food aid from the municipality. S/he was hired after such immorality. I do not know about the third one, the department directors must have considered him/her suitable."

Ertan: I am not accused of sending money to Qandil

Dismissed Metropolitan Mayor of Van Bedia Özgökçe Ertan:

"Sending money to Qandil is not one of the accusations brought against me. I am accused of pressuring [the personnel] into changing unions, which is not true. I am accused of propagandizing for a terrorist organization, I am accused of not reacting and remaining silent while listening to the speech of HDP Co-Chair Pervin Buldan. It is not a joke. Such a summary of proceedings has been sent to us from the prosecutor's office.

"The right to vote and to be elected has been seized. People are elected as MPs, then, they are imprisoned. People are elected as mayors, they are removed from office and the [municipal] council is dissolved. We were faced with a mountain of invoices when we took office.

"The expense of the election campaign conducted by President as the Chair of Justice and Development Party (AKP) was paid from [the budget of] the municipality. It is an invoice of almost 300 thousand lira. In the drawer, we found a list of election rally materials in handwriting."

Mızraklı: Everyone should stand up against it

Dismissed Metropolitan Mayor of Diyarbakır Selçuk Mızraklı:

"We all need to talk. There is a need to make terms and compromise by talking. (...) If you are a Kurd, if you are dissident, you are faced with stigmatizations accommodated to every period.

"August 19 has shown that a new earthquake hit the politics of Turkey. First, the documents were leaked on social media. The municipalities were blockaded at night. When I went to the municipality as the mayor at 6 in the morning, they did not let me in. Why? Because the Minister of Interior decided to do so... Based on what grounds did he simultaneously make such a decision for three municipalities?

"A vice governor told me that there was a decision of dismissal and I could go to the municipality in his/her company. I noted there that I would not sign the dismissal papers. On July 15, there was an unjust situation, President Erdoğan called on everyone to take to the streets. Everyone really had to stand up against that pro-coup mindset.

"It turned out after people gathered in front of the municipality to express their opposition to this understanding of trustees.... One day before, on August 18, a ban on demonstrations was imposed by the Governorship. Operations were conducted in 29 provinces at the same night, 418 people were detained. In other words, preliminary preparations were made for the August 19 coup." (EMK/SD)