Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality 24.12.2009- Dear Sir/ Madam, I would like to take your attention on the antidemocratic and illegal practices and systematic operations executed towards the Local Governments and Local Administrators of the East and South-East Anatolia Region of Turkey.On April 14, 2009, with the launch of operations against the members and administrators of DTP (Party for a Democratic Society), more than hundred persons have been put in detention and arrested. The same situation lasted in different intervals, on September 11, 2009 with a huge operation, 19 Administrators have been put in detention and 10 of them have been arrested. On December 11, 2009, DTP has been closed by a political decision.Again this morning, December 24, 2009, operations against the former DTP and new BDP (Party for Peace and Democracy) Municipalities occured simultaneously in Diyarbakir, Siirt, Şanlıurfa, Mardin, Şırnak and Batman where among 81 persons, 9 Mayors elected by the way of democratic elections and who represent the population, have been detained.
The names of some Administrators are Selim Sadak, Mayor of Siirt Municipality; Necdet Atalay, Mayor of Batman Municipality; Zülküf Karatekin, Mayor of Kayapınar Municipality; Ethem Şahin, Mayor of Suruç Municipality; Leyla Güven, Mayor of Viranşehir Municipality; Ahmet Cengiz, Mayor of Çınar Municipality; Aydın Budak, Mayor of Cizre Municipality; Ferhan Türk, Mayor of Kızıltepe Municipality; Abdullah Demirbaş, Mayor of Sur Municipality; Hüseyin Kalkan, Former Mayor of Batman Municipality; Emrullah Cin, Former Mayor of Viranşehir Municipality; Fikret Kaya, Former Mayor of Silvan Municipality; Fırat Anlı, Former Mayor of Yenişehir Municipality; Yaşar Sarı, Director of DİSKİ; Ali Şimşek, Vice-Mayor of Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality.
By completely ignoring the justice, detention by force of police and unfair practices that our Local Administrators are facing, are worrying us deeply. I am convinced that International public opinions and International Local Government Organizations should not stay insensitive and voiceless towards the antidemocratic process subsisting in Turkey.
For this matter, I request from European Parliament to initiate a sensitivity and react openly by sending urgently a delegation to Turkey in order to investigate and state the situation, and launch an attempt on the Turkish Government for the pressure made to our Municipalities.
Faithfully Yours,
Mayor, Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality
President, Union of South-East Anatolia Region Municipalities
