Denouncing the seizure of Hakkari Municipality, the Istanbul Bar Association said, “The will of the voters is being eliminated through the constant appointment of trustees. We stand for the right to elect and be elected and our democracy.”
The Istanbul Bar Association made a written statement against the arrest of Hakkari Co-Mayor Mehmet Sıddık Akış and the usurpation of his duty through the appointment of a trustee by the Ministry of Interior.
The statement said: “In the statement made by the Ministry of Interior, it was announced that the Governor of Hakkari was appointed as a trustee to the Hakkari Municipality on the grounds of the ongoing lawsuit and detention process. This interfered with the presumption of innocence and the right to elect and be elected, which are guaranteed by Article 38 of the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey. Furthermore, the principle that municipalities should be governed by an elected municipal administration and municipal council has been suspended.”
The statement pointed out that: “The elimination of the will of voters through the constant appointment of trustees means the interruption of democratic functioning. We stand for the right to elect and be elected and our democracy.”
