The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party alleges ill-treatment by the police during the ongoing protests in Batman against the dismissal of the mayor.
Mayor Gülistan Sönük, along with two other pro-Kurdish mayors, was dismissed by the Interior Ministry on Nov 4 citing a “terrorism-related “ investigation against her and replaced with a state-appointed trustee. Protests have been going on since then, with demonstrators after clashing with the police. Dozens of people have been detained over the past week.
Gallery: Dozens detained in ‘trustee’ protests amid violent police response
DEM Party officials claimed that police mistreated those detained during the protests. MP Ceylan Akça said on social media, “Young people are being tortured in Batman detention. Right now, there is #TortureInBatmanPolice.” Akça urged the public to contact Batman Police and demand an end to the alleged treatment.”
Ayşegül Doğan, spokesperson for DEM Party, also took to social media, tagging Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, saying, “Reports of severe mistreatment are coming in from Batman. Citizens exercising their democratic right to protest are reportedly subjected to torture by the police. Torture is a crime, and the right to protest is legitimate.”
Police officer punches protester after taking him into custody in Batman pic.twitter.com/w6iGpjkM3L
— bianet English (@bianet_eng) November 4, 2024
MP Birgül Çubuk stated, “The trustee-appointed Batman police are attempting to break the public’s will with mistreatment. The abusive trustee will go.”
The hashtag #BatmanEmniyetindeİşkenceVar (Torture in Batman police department) trended across social media, as citizens voiced concerns over reports of abuse at the police department.
Return of trustees
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)
