Siirt Municipality co-mayor Sofya Alağaş told ANF that since the appointment of the trustee, they have been protesting and announced that they will hold demonstrations every Friday.

On 29 January, Siirt Municipality was illegally taken over and a trustee appointed.  This is the third time that the will of the people of Siirt has been usurped. Since the local elections on 31 March 2024, a total of ten municipalities have had trustees appointed. These municipalities are: Hakkari, Esenyurt, Mardin Metropolitan Municipality, Batman, Halfeti, Tunceli, Ovacık, Bahçesaray, Akdeniz, and Siirt. Despite these appointments, the people continue to defend their democratic will. 

Kurdish people are only seen as servants 

Alağaş said that the government does not want Kurds to have any rights or the ability to govern themselves, and added: "Even if they are elected, Kurds cannot govern themselves. The government's perspective is clear: Kurdistan is a colony and can only be ruled as such. Kurds are only meant to serve. They see Kurds as mere servants.

This is why, even when Kurds elect their own representatives through democratic means, the government cannot tolerate it. We enter the elections, we win, but suddenly they say, 'I don’t approve it. You cannot represent the will of the people,’ and they appoint a trustee. How can we justify this in any logical framework? These elections are conducted in the name of democracy, yet the whole world is being deceived. This is nothing more than denying the will of the Kurdish people, refusing to acknowledge their right to choose their own representatives." 

Alağaş: Trustees turn Siirt municipality into a police station

Alağaş said that they have been protesting in front of the municipality for a week and will continue to do so every Friday. She added: "We will not only make statements but will also expose the trustee administration through various actions and events. We will expose all corruption and irregularities committed by the appointed trustee. Just because they have arrived does not mean we will go home, sit back, and do nothing while they rule comfortably. We will expose their every move. Every step they take is unlawful and a violation of rights. In fact, their mere presence there is a violation of the people’s will. For instance, the municipality building has now turned into a police station. It is no longer a public service building. The courtyard is filled with detention vehicles and riot police. A citizen looking at that scene does not see a municipal building but rather a police station. How can you provide services to people under these circumstances? We have no intention of allowing the trustee to rule undisturbed."