Syriac Associations Federation: Peoples’ Will Seized Through Trustees

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After the Ministry of Interior has announced that the Metropolitan Mayors of Diyarbakır, Mardin and Van of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) have been removed from office, the Syriac Associations Foundation has released a statement and denounced the appointment of trustees.

"Elections have no value left in Turkey in recent years", the Federation has indicated and underlined that human rights and freedoms have been laid aside with the martial law, state of emergency and statutory decrees.

The Federation has stated the following in brief:

"The key feature of a democratic regime is the elections, which express the will of the people. However, in recent years, elections have no value left in Turkey. Because, with the alliance of Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the elected MPs, mayors and municipal assembly members of the HDP are being removed from office and several of them are sent behind bars. This anti-democratic and racist mentality draws its strength from a pro-coup mindset.

'There is an attempt to make one-man rule dominant'

"For that reason, all groups and communities with different ethnic, religious, sectarian and social identities are subjected to all types of pressures.

"Throughout the history of Turkey, democratic rights have always been suspended with coups staged by the military or governments and the opposition has been attempted to be intimidated by violent means.

"Human rights and freedoms have been laid aside with the martial law, state of emergency and arbitrary statutory decrees. There is an attempt to make the racist, religionist alliance of the AKP and MHP dominant and one-man rule over all aspects of life. All forms of struggle to claim democracy, peace and freedoms is considered a crime in Turkey.

"As the election results did not unfold before the eyes of the world as the AKP-MHP government wished, they are either holding repeat elections or seizing peoples' will through trustees, disregarding the elections."

'It has caused distrust among peoples of Turkey'

Referring to the dismissal of Diyarbakır, Van and Mardin Metropolitan Mayors as "a political coup", the statement has further indicated, "This anti-democratic coup which is not based on any legal grounds has been staged by disregarding universal values and using police force."

Underlining that it "has caused a deep unrest, unease and distrust among the peoples of Turkey", the statement has emphasized that "the international prestige of Turkey has also been damaged" as a result.

Concluding the statement, the Federation has made a call to Turkey and international community "to develop a democratic stance towards this pro-coup mindset and to stand on the side of the ones elected with peoples' will." (AÖ/SD)