31 bar associations made a joint statement against the usurpation of Dersim and Ovacık municipalities through the removal of the democratically elected mayors and appointment of trustees in their places.
The written statement titled ‘We do not accept the trustee regime’ includes the following:
“We have learnt that trustees have been appointed to the municipalities of Dersim and Ovacık after the unlawful decision to appoint trustees to the municipalities of Hakkari, Esenyurt, Mardin, Batman and Halfeti. The principle of a democratic state of law includes the obligation to protect fundamental rights and freedoms. The right to elect and be elected, which is guaranteed by Article 67 of the Constitution, is the most fundamental element of a democratic society and is also the expression of a fundamental right. Even if there is a legal problem with the mayors elected as a result of the exercise of the right to vote, the method to be applied is to resolve this problem through an election mechanism among the members of the municipal council.
The trustee practice, in which the presumption of innocence is violated and the will of the voters is ignored, is clearly and multifacetedly in violation of the Constitution and international conventions to which Turkey is a party. This practice, which has undoubtedly turned into an administrative regime, produces no result other than causing severe damage to Turkey’s democracy, maltreating the faith of voters and weakening confidence in the law. The trustee practice, a remnant of the state of emergency rule, has no legal and social legitimacy. As the undersigned bar associations, we resolutely emphasise our opposition to the trustee regime and call for an immediate reversal of this unlawful decision that usurps the will of the people and respect for the will of the electorate and the rule of law.”
The signatory bar associations are as follows: Adıyaman, Ağrı, Antalya, Balıkesir, Batman, Bingöl, Bitlis, Burdur, Bursa, Diyarbakır, Eskişehir, Antep, Hakkari, Iğdır, İzmir, Kars, Kocaeli, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Muğla, Muş, Sakarya, Siirt, Şırnak, Urfa, Tekirdağ, Trabzon, Dersim, Van, Zonguldak.
