Protesters detained during demonstrations against the removal of Batman’s pro-Kurdish mayor were reportedly subjected to mistreatment, including being forced to listen to a nationalist song, "Ölürüm Türkiyem," (I’d Die For You, Turkey) while in custody.
Ahmet Şiray, co-chair of the Human Rights Association (İHD) in Batman, announced plans to file a criminal complaint against the police over these allegations.
The protests erupted after the Interior Ministry on Nov 4 suspended the mayors of Batman and Mardin, as well as the mayor of the Halfeti district in Urfa. Batman witnessed the most intense demonstrations, with over 300 people detained according to İHD.
Among those who were apprehended during the protests, 40 individuals, including 15 minors, were ultimately arrested, said Şiray. He added that detailed findings would be included in a forthcoming İHD report.
Mistreatment at Batman protests following pro-Kurdish mayor’s removal
“We’ve received reports of violence inside police vehicles,” Şiray said. “Detainees told us they were subjected to mistreatment. Those held for extended periods and taken for medical reports were forced into a degrading posture, with their heads bent between their knees, as they were transported to the hospital.
“They faced violence both on the way to and back from the hospital. Detainees were made to listen to racist songs, including 'Ölürüm Türkiyem,' and were subjected to verbal abuse with offensive language. At the courthouse, they were brought in with reverse handcuffs and their heads forced down. This degrading treatment extended from detention to the police station, hospital, and courthouse.”
2024 municipal takeovers
The Interior Ministry replaced the mayor of İstanbul's Esenyurt district, run by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) on Oct 31, citing a "terrorism" investigation into the mayor. This was followed by the removal of the mayors of the cities of Mardin and Batman, and Urfa's Halfeti district, controlled by the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party on Nov 4, on the grounds of ongoing "terrorism-related" criminal cases against them. The ministry has appointed governors and district governors as trustees in the place of the mayors.
Under Turkish law, the interior ministry has the authority to suspend mayors under criminal investigation, appointing trustees to act in their stead. The trustee has the authority to dissolve municipal councils, legislative body of municipalities, which are separately elected bodies typically composed of members from various political parties.
The government widely implemented trustee policies during the period of state of emergency following a failed coup in 2016, taking over almost all municipalities run by the HDP in the country’s Kurdish-populated regions. The party regained the municipalities in the 2019 election by winning the elections in 65 municipal areas, including eight cities. However, all but five district and town municipalities were eventually taken over by the government in the following months, citing “terrorism” investigations and cases against the mayors.
The DEM Party, the HDP’s successor, won 11 cities among 75 municipalities in the 2024 polls. The government has so far refrained from a widespread takeover of municipalities but appointed a trustee to the Hakkari city in June. With the most recent takeovers, the DEM has lost three of the 11 cities it won.
(VK)
