Dismissal of HDP Mayors: Statements by Rights and Professional Organizations

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Following the dismissal of the HDP Metropolitan Mayors of Diyarbakır, Van and Mardin, rights and professional organizations made a statement on the issue.

The Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD), Mülkiyeliler Birliği (the alumni association of the Ankara University Faculty of Political Science), the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), the Lawyers for Democracy, the Human Rights Association (İHD) and the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) released the following statements:

Joint statement by İHD and TİHV

The Human Rights Association (İHD) and the Turkish Human Rights Foundation (TİHV), which issued a joint press release on the issue, stated that the first and indispensable condition of democracy is to recognize the will of the voters.

Emphasizing Article 38 of the Constitution, the İHD and TİHV emphasized said that no one can be charged unless convicted by a finalized court order:

"Today's impeachment and municipality seizure operation is an absolute violation of the Constitution and an operation to seize municipalities with anti-democratic laws and powers that political power cannot seize by elections.

"Directly appointing governors is literally a state of emergency action. Governors running the metropolitan municipalities which could not be won in elections means that the ruling party will run these municipalities.

The İHD and the TİHV also recalled that 94 mayors from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) were dismissed during the state of emergency period, and five mayors from the HDP were not given the mandates in the March 31 local elections, even though they won the elections.

Urging the government to return elected mayors to office, the İHD and the TİHV invited all democratic forces to oppose the interference by the government.

Lawyers for Democracy: Will of the people are not recognized

The lawyers for Democracy said that the elected mayors were dismissed without law and without any rules, and that this was once again a declaration that democracy and the will of the people are not recognized.

"The fact that the government has applied the same method again is nothing more than insistence on one man rule.

"The corruption of the trustees is clearly revealed by the elected mayors in how the municipality's facilities are used for personal benefit, while the re-submission of the municipalities to the trustees also means continued and insistence on this corruption and vested interests.

"This means the destruction of democracy and the rule of law for the entire country. This recklessness, which does not recognize the law and ignores the will of the people, may appear anywhere else in the country in the future.

TMMOB: Political morality of the one man regime

Stating that the dismissals made under the pretext of judicial-administrative investigations carried out on the mayors have nothing to do with democracy and the understanding of the rule of law, the Union of Chambers of Engineers and architects of Turkey (TMMOB) said that the similar ones of this understanding were the product of the fascist government mentality they saw during the periods of coup:

"This insistence on the trustee regime is a blow not only to the will of the people, but also to the people's faith in democracy and elections. Trying to usurp what was lost at the ballot box by non-democratic means is also indicative of the level of political morality of the one-man regime.

"Those who have no ties to the people and have no sense of responsibility to the people do not only cause great and lasting damage to democracy but also to the local governments to which they are appointed.

"This shame of democracy, this blow to the will of the people should be abandoned immediately. The concept of neutralizing opposition politicians through illegal means, repression and difficult methods should be abandoned."

Mülkiyeliler: Mayors must be quickly returned to their posts
"The Interior Ministry's decision to usurp the will of voters poses a grave threat to all opposition municipalities that are not regarded as acceptable by political power.

"Today, through the trustees, the most basic principles of democracy are trampled upon once again. Local governments are the main veins of democracy in Turkey.

"We would like to point out that the elected mayors are quickly returned to their posts and that this practice is vital to our political life.

"It should be remembered that what we need urgently is a strong democracy. The strengthening of democracy is possible through the existence of an egalitarian, libertarian, just and peaceful life."

ÇHD: No more surprises

Describing today's events as 'banditry', the Progressive Lawyers Association interpreted the confiscation of municipalities as an indication that the political power was in New preparations.:

"It is no longer surprising that the AKP, which considers the elections legitimate when they are in favor of it and and declares them 'illegal' when it loses, has seized the municipalities that have taken the people's vote through the elections today.

"The government has openly launched attacks on its representatives and institutions chosen by the people's vote in order to eliminate the reactions of the Kurdish people prior to the operations which are intended to be aimed at the Kurdish geography.

"It is never acceptable for the Kurdish people to confiscation of the municipalities they have chosen by their own votes. The extermination policies against the Kurdish people should be stopped immediately." (HA/VK)