189 People Sign Declaration Against Trustees

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

189 people criticized the replacement of the mayors of Diyarbakır, Mardin and Van in a joint statement.

Here is the full text of the declaration:

"Turkey's weak democracy has suffered one of its deepest wounds. In an extrajudicial act, trustees have been appointed as the mayors of Diyarbakır, Mardin and Van.

"This is not a coup against them, but against the people who elect them, moreover, against the people's right to elect. It is a new phase in the course of full dictatorship. Therefore, it is a lock on the will and freedom of all of us. If this lock is not opened in a joint effort, all of Turkey will be locked up.

"We consider the coup against the mayors of Diyarbakır, Mardin and Van is a coup staged against us.

"We do not recognize this decision. We consider every blow to the people who claim their president has been dealt against us. We oppose this persecution.

"We know very well that tomorrow it will be the turn of those stay silent today. We shout, "Don't shush or it will be your turn!"

"We invite everyone who believes in democracy, the will of the people, the right to elect, freedom of thought, the rule of law, the sense of justice and the voice of conscience to fight this persecution together, wherever they may be in the world.

"Tomorrow's democratic and free Turkey will emerge from today's resistance for justice and solidarity for peace; we know that."

• Eren Keskin - Human rights defender
• Prof. Dr. Cengiz Aktar - Academic
• Prof. Dr. Baskın Oran - Academic
• Prof Dr. H. Neşe Özgen - Academic
• Doç. Dr. Nazan Üstündağ - Academic
• Hatip Dicle - Politician
• Mustafa Altıoklar - Film director
• Hayko Bağdat - Journalist
• Turgut Öker - Alawite politician
• Ahmet İnsel - Academic
• Celal Başlangıç - Journalist
• Metin Yeğin - Journalist
• Şanar Yurdatapan - Musician - Activist
• İsmail Beşikçi- Investigative writer
• Ragıp Duran - Journalist
• Ahmet Nesin - Journalist
• Ferhat Tunç – Musician
• Ergun Babahan  - Journalist
• Mehmet Bayrak - Investigative writer
• Ragıp Zarakolu – Journalist
• Nurcan Baysal – Journalist
• Fehim Işık - Journalist
• Mustafa Sarısülük - Gezi resistance activist
• Cem Özdemir - Mdb, Die Grünen
• Gökay Akbulut - Mdb, Die Linke
• Helin Evrim Sommer - Mdb, Die Linke
• Sadet Karabulut - Member of Netherlands parliament
• Cansel Kızıltepe - Mdb, Spd
• Evin İncir - Member of European Parliament/Sweden Social Democrats
• Kadir Kasırga - MP from Sweden Social Democrat Workers' Party
• Amineh Kalabaveh - MP from Sweden Left Party
• Cansu Özdemir - MP from Left Party
• Berıvan Aymaz ( Nrw Greens Provincial MP)
• Serkan Köse  / Sweden Social Democrat Workers' Party MP
• Hakan Taş - Milletvekili Berlin Sol Parti
• Berivan Aslan - Former MP in Austria
• Memet Kılıç- Lawyer / Former Federal MP in Germany
• Yekbun Alp  - Former MP in Sweden
• Mazlum Koç - Bremen Left Party MP
• Azad Faruk Aslan - Sweden Left Party
• Gin Algul Hajo - Gävle Municipality member
• Latife Akyüz - Academic for Peace
• İsmail Küpeli - Academic
• Ahmet Murat Aytaç - Academic for Peace
• Engin Sustam - Academic for Peace
• Mustafa Şener - Academic for Peace
• Hakan Altun - Academic for Peace
• Doç. Dr. Selim Eskiizmirliler –Academic / Paris University
• Mehmet Rauf Kesici - Academic for Peace
• Nevra Akdemir - Academic for Peace
• Mine Gencel Bek - Academic for Peace
• Mustafa Şener - Academic for Peace
• Deniz Yonucu - Academic for Peace
• Melahat Kutan - Academic for Peace
• Muzaffer Kaya - Academic for Peace
• Kuvvet Lordoğlu- Academic
• Önder Çakır - Film director
• Nazmi Kırık - Actor
• Bülent Ant - Aabk Secretary-General
• A. Mahir Ofcan - Karadeniz Initiative
• Azmi Berberoğlu - European Democratic Circassians Platform
• Aziz Gergin - European Syriac Union - Esu
• Ali Atalan – Yazidi politician / former HDP MP
• Yüksel Koç - Kcdk - E co-chair
• Fatos Göksungur - Kcdk - E co-chair
• Demir Çelik - Kcdk - E Presidency Council Member
• Süleyman Gülcan - Atik Chair
• Mehmet Cengiz - Green Left Party
• Hüseyin Ateş - Revolutionary Party
• Besime Konca -  former HDP MP / European Kurdish Women's Movement Tjk-E
• Kemal Kıran - Fidef Chair
• Metin Ayçiçek - European Assembly of Expellees
• Arzu Demir - Journalist
• Ahmet Kahraman – Journalist
• Atilla Keskin - writer
• Çetin Oraner – musician
• Kerem Schamberger - Kommunikationswıssenschaftler, Lmu München
• Doğan Özgüden - Journalist
• İnci Tuğsavul – Journalist
• Ender İmrek - writer
• Metin Behnan - Mesopotamia Solidarity Association
• Yaşar Küçükaslan - Mesopotamia Freedom Party
• Yücel Özdemir (Gazeteci)
• Öz Nûjen - Stand - Up comedian
• Aziz Tunç - Yazar - Politician
• Suat Bozkuş - Journalist-writer
• Ziya Ulusoy - Esp European representative
• Ferda Çetin – Journalist
• Cahit Mervan - Journalist
• Faruk Sakık - Journalist
• Mazhar Günbat - Journalist
• Burhan Erdem - Journalist
• Xeyrettin Çelik - Journalist
• Serhat Bucak - Journalist
• Cafer Tar – journalist
• Memo Şahin - Journalist
• Günay Aslan - Journalist
• Salar Rashid - Stockholm City Council member / Social Democratic Party
• Kurdo Baksi – Journalist
• Zana Farqînî - Linguist - writer
• Filiz Koçali-Journalist
• Ozan Emekçi - Musician
• Av. Feride Laçin – Lawyer
• Gönül Erden - Ses Chair
• Said Sefa - Journalist-writer
• Ebru Ojen - Actor-writer
• Seda Tanrıkulu Kaya - Lawyer- Tuhad - Fed İzmir former co-chair
• Faruk Eren - Disk Basın İş Union chair - Journalist
• Ahmet Özmen - Diyarbakır Bar Association former chair
• Korkut Akın - Film director - writer
• Hürriyet Özçelık - Kader
• Şengül Alıcı - Social Solidarity and Communication Association
• Mehmet Celalettin Şerafettinoğlu - Social Solidarity and Communication Association
• Atila Mermeroluk - Social Solidarity and Communication Association
• Müzeyyen Nergiz - Lawyer / Diyarbakır Bar Association Center for Women's Rights
• Gazal Bayram Koluman - Lawyer / Diyarbakır Bar Association Board Member
• Nurcan Kaya - Lawyer - writer
• Zülal Erdoğan - Lawyer / Diyarbakır Bar Association Center for Women's Rights
• Nuşin Uysal Ekinci - Lawyer / Diyarbakır Bar Association Center for Women's Rights
• Nadide Kurul - Lawyer / Diyarbakır Bar Association Center for Women's Rights
• Sıla Talay - Lawyer / Diyarbakır Bar Association Center for Women's Rights
• Elif Tirenç İpek Ulaş Lawyer / Diyarbakır Bar Association Center for Women's Rights
• Zeynep Işık - Lawyer / Diyarbakır Bar Association Center for Women's Rights
• Hasan Akın - Social Solidarity and Communication Association
• Şahin Arslan - Social Solidarity and Communication Association
• Rahim Arslan - Social Solidarity and Communication Association
• Muzaffer Asma - Ecology Union Executive Board Member
• Av. Gevriye Atlı - Diyarbakır Mediation Center
• Faruk Balıkçı - Journalist
• Hakan Tahmaz - Peace Foundation Chair
• Dr. Selim Ölçer - Turkish Medical Association former chair
• Muharrem Erbey - Lawyer-writer
• Vakkas Çolak - Kurdish lecturer at Tokyo University
• Yüksel Genç - Researcher
• Mehmet Bozgeyik - Kesk Co-Chair
• İsmet Aslan - Kesk Expert
• Osman İşçi - Human Rights Defender
• Av. Hatice Demir - Diyarbakır Bar Association
• Av. Sedat Yurttaş - Diyarbakır Bar Association
• Osman Baydemir - Former HDP MP / Former Diyarbakır Mayor
• Faysal Sarıyıldız - Former HDP MP
• Tuğba Hezer - Former HDP MP
• Nursel Aydoğan - Former HDP MP
• Lezgin Botan - Former HDP MP
• Kemal Aktaş - Former HDP MP
• Ziya Çalışkan - Former HDP MP
• Sibel Yiğitalp - Former HDP MP
• Özdal Üçer - Former HDP MP
• Leyla Birlik - Former HDP MP
• Dilek Öcalan - Former HDP MP
• Saadet Becerikli - Former HDP MP
• M. Emin Adıyaman - Former HDP MP
• Hasan Hayri Ateş - Former Central Executive Committee Member of HDP
• Leyla İmret- Former Cizre Mayor
• Hüseyin Yılmaz - Former Ağrı Mayor
• Fırat Anlı- Former Diyarbakır Co-Mayor
• Fatma Şık- Former Sur Co-Mayor
• Burhan Kocaman- Former Karakoçan Co-Mayor
• Hüseyin Güneş- Vatro Belediyesi Eski Eşbaşkanı
• Orhan Şansal- Suruç Belediyesi Eski Eşbaşkanı
• Ruken Yılmaz- Çınar Belediyesi Eski Eşbaşkanı
• Veysel Keser- Van İpekyolu Belediyesi Eski Eşbaşkanı
• Hasan Basri Fırat- Hınıs Belediyesi Eski Eşbaşkanı
• Lami Özgen - Eski Kesk Eş Genel Başkanı
• Songül Morsümbül  - Eski Kesk Kadın Sekreteri
• Gülçin İspert - Eski Eğitim Sen Merkez Kadın Sekreteri
• Meryem Çağ   - Bes Eski Merkez Kadın Sekreteri
• Sakine Esen Yılmaz  - Eğitim Sen Eski Genel Sekreteri
• Elif Akgül Ateş - Eğitim Sen Eski Merkez Kadın Sekreteri
• Mehmet Karaaslan - Bes Eski Diyarbakır Şube Başkanı
• Gülşen Topal - Adana Ses Şube Eski Kadın Sekreteri
• Mine Çetinkaya  - Eğitim Sen İzmir Şube Eski Kadın Sekreteri
• Mahmut Şakar, Hukukçu, Germany
• Firez Rezan Sobil, Lawyer, Germany
• Metin Güler, Lawyer, Germany
• Barış Yeşil, Lawyer, Germany
• Murat Vargün, Lawyer, Germany
• Besra Güler, Lawyer, Germany
• Dündar Kelloğlu, Lawyer, Germany
• Abdi Yarcu, Lawyer, Germany
• Aysel Güler, Lawyer, UK
• Şinasi Tur,  Lawyer, Switzerland
• Cüneyt Caniş, Lawyer, Sweden
• Filiz Kalaycı, Lawyer,  Austria
• Dündar Gürses, Lawyer, Netherlands
• Arzu Bozbey, Lawyer, Netherlands
• Eda Yılmaz, Lawyer, Netherlands
• Engin Arslan, Lawyer, Netherlands
• Can Dündar - Journalist

(AS/VK)