Joint Statement by 28 Bar Associations Against Removal of Mayors from Office

* Photograph: Mezopotamya Agency (MA)

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After Metropolitan Mayors of Diyarbakır, Mardin and Van have been removed from office by the Ministry of Interior, 28 bar associations have released a joint statement and denounced the appointment of trustees.

"We do not accept this unlawful practice that has completely removed the idea of living together in peace and the belief in the ideal of rule of law", the associations have indicated and stated the following in brief:

'We witness this shame for the second time'

"Turkey has once again woken up to a lawless morning. It is the second time that we witness this shame. In 2016, several mayors were also detained and 96 elected mayors were similarly replaced by trustees.

"Though the State of Emergency has been lifted, the unlawful practices of the State of Emergency still continue apace. Democracy and law have been suspended and ruined once again.

'The threat uttered before March 31 realized'

"The threat of 'If they are elected, we will appoint trustees' uttered before the elections on March 31, 2019, has been put into practice.

"The fact that three elected mayors, whose nomination was approved by the Supreme Election Council (YSK), have been removed from office with an 'administrative decision' not five months later and on the ground of not yet finalized investigations and court cases has once again showed the tutelage of the executive on the judiciary.

"This action has dealt a blow to not only to the administrative structure of the country, but to its judiciary as well.

'It will not bring any good to Turkey's democracy'

"The elimination of the election and the people's will as a reflection of the election with an administrative decision is an administrative coup in the mildest sense of the term. This coup stages against the will of the people will not bring any good to Turkey's democracy."

Concluding their statement, the bar associations have emphasized, "We do not accept this unlawful practice that has completely removed the idea of living together in peace and the belief in the ideal of rule of law."

The associations have also requested that the dismissed metropolitan mayors be reinstated in their positions immediately.

The undersigned bar associations are as follows:

Adana, Adıyaman, Ağrı, Ankara, Antalya, Artvin, Batman, Bingöl, Bitlis, Bursa, Denizli, Diyarbakır, Düzce, Gaziantep, Hakkari, Hatay, İstanbul, İzmir, Kars-Ardahan, Mardin, Mersin, Muş, Siirt, Şanlıurfa, Şırnak, Tunceli, Van, Yalova (HA/SD)