Operations and investigations targeting municipalities governed by the Republican People's Party (CHP) have been ongoing since October 2024. To date, 15 mayors have been arrested, including Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, Antalya Metropolitan Mayor Muhittin Böcek, and Adana Metropolitan Mayor Zeydan Karalar.

Following the arrests, the Ministry of the Interior appointed trustees to two municipalities. In ten others, CHP municipal council members were elected as acting mayors, while one municipality was handed over to the Justice and Development Party (AKP). Despite the ongoing operations, no indictments have been filed so far.

Tuncay Bakırhan, Co-Chair of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), reacted strongly to the government’s actions: “If you are looking for theft and corruption, I swear, go to the trustee-run municipalities. You’ll find theft, corruption, and misconduct in their most blatant forms.”

Sezai Temelli, Parliamentary Group Deputy Chair of the DEM Party, also commented on the situation: “Turkey’s democratization and the democratic solution to the Kurdish issue are so deeply intertwined that expecting one without the other is, quite frankly, a political delusion.”

The public is being dragged into hopelessness

Sezai Temelli stated that recent developments have raised serious concerns in society regarding peace and democracy: “Operations that have continued since March 19 are causing public anxiety about democracy, peace, and the political direction we are heading in, they are pushing society into hopelessness. Especially after the period that began on October 1 and peaked with Mr. Öcalan’s statements on February 27, a historic declaration that inspired hope for peace and democracy across Turkey, it is deeply troubling that such a crackdown would begin immediately afterward. We have already defined this as a sabotage of the peace process.

We have tried to explain this to both the government and many segments of society. In Turkey, the peace process and the democratization process exist in a symbiotic relationship. The democratic resolution of the Kurdish question and the democratization of Turkey are so deeply interconnected that expecting one without the other is, quite frankly, a political delusion.

That is why Turkish democracy is dependent on the democratic resolution of the Kurdish question. And the democratic resolution of the Kurdish question, in turn, requires a democratized Turkey. Approaching both of these together, from the right perspective, is the only approach that can genuinely meet the expectations of society.”

Our position has been clear from the beginning

Sezai Temelli stated that without democratization, it is very unlikely for this process to advance in a healthy and meaningful way, and emphasized that their stance on the issue has been clear from the start: “Unfortunately, the government has approached this process in a narrow framework, reducing it to purely criminal dimensions through slogans like ‘a terror-free Turkey’ and ‘disarmament’, which politically creates a serious handicap. This inevitably causes concern across society. As the DEM Party, we have made our position clear from the beginning. Without democratization, there is little chance for this process to progress soundly.

That is why we are calling on the government, and the state as it exists today, to show sensitivity and responsibility. Yet, the government continues to manage the process with an agenda focused only on power calculations and an aversion to democratic principles. They seek to bring about disarmament regarding the Kurdish issue while steering Turkey further along an authoritarian path.

Today, the armed struggle is coming to an end, but the struggle for a democratic solution to the Kurdish question is gaining strength. It is not possible to speak of a genuine struggle for democracy while political imprisonment continues and the judiciary remains under political influence. Therefore, ensuring an independent and impartial judiciary, ending the practice of politically motivated detentions, and breaking away from the policy of appointing trustees in place of elected officials, these may well be the first steps that must be taken.”

This is unacceptable

Sezai Temelli also drew attention to the importance of an independent judiciary, reminding that at the beginning of the operations, the “urban consensus” and the Democratic Peoples’ Congress (HDK) were subjected to efforts of criminalization: “A large portion of the operations targeting the CHP have been introduced under the guise of corruption cases. The public is told, ‘Look, this is not a political matter, it is solely about corruption.’ But we know very well that the operations which began on March 19 turned the concept of the ‘urban consensus’ into a supposed crime, and three CHP-run municipalities were handed over to trustees. In our case, trustees have been appointed to ten of our municipalities as well. Meanwhile, the HDK was accused of criminal activity, and we have comrades in prison because of this. That’s where this all started. This must be corrected.

On the other hand, if these are truly cases of corruption and there are serious crimes involved, then let proper investigations and prosecutions begin. But dragging mayors from their homes in dawn raids, arresting them, and immediately branding them as guilty in the public eye without a trial is not acceptable by any legal or democratic standard. All of this must be corrected urgently.

Some of the allegations against mayors are almost laughable, files with no substance, claims that involve amounts as small as minimum wage being labeled as bribery, or donations being misrepresented. There is no real case file before us that would justify a serious investigation. And without any indictments, it is impossible to comment in full detail.

If Turkey is to break out of this political deadlock, what is needed is a judicial process based on true justice, an end to political imprisonment and the removal of state-appointed trustees. But even now, we continue to hear of new operations being launched.”