Keskin Bayındır, co-chair of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Democratic Regions Party (DBP), declared that the ‘Respect for Will March’ stands against the occupation of Kurdistan, emphasising their resistance “will persist until the mentality of Erdoğan and Bahçeli collapses in Colemêrg (Hakkari)”.
The march, initiated by the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, another pro-Kurdish party in Turkey, following the appointment of a trustee to the Kurdish-majority Hakkari Municipality on 3 June, has reached its seventh day. In contrast to the Kurdish regions-focused DBP, the DEM Party is organised throughout the country.
Keskin Bayındır elaborated on the march’s purpose, stressing the need for Kurdish people to rise against the usurpation of their will. “This march is against the occupation of Kurdistan. It has become the conscience of people in Turkey and Kurdistan. A trustee was appointed to Colemêrg against the will of its people. However, we trust in our will and our people. We will dismantle this usurpation of the people’s will. […] This march provides great hope and strength to all people for the defeat of the government. The Kurdish people, wherever they are, must rise against this usurpation of will. We need to overcome this trustee mentality,” he stated.
Bayındır linked the trustee appointments and usurpation of will to the Kurdish issue, noting, “The AKP-MHP government seeks to resolve the Kurdish issue through weapons and war. The trustee is a product of this policy. All these problems stem from the Kurdish issue and the isolation of Mr. Öcalan [Abdullah Öcalan, Kurdistan Workers’ Party leader imprisoned in Turkey]. This march is for ending isolation and finding democratic solutions to the Kurdish issue, ensuring the realisation of the Kurdish people’s will. We believe this march will be completed successfully. We will continue until we achieve a result. Our resistance will persist until Erdoğan and Bahçeli’s mentality collapses in Colemêrg,” he concluded.
After the 31 March 2024 municipal elections in Turkey, focus shifted to Kurdish-majority provinces and districts where the Turkish government had been implementing a policy of trusteeship, removing elected Kurdish mayors with accusations related to terrorism. The government, having suffered huge losses in the elections, first tried to remove the Van (Wan) Co-Mayor Abdullah Zeydan, stepping back after days of protests. Then it removed Hakkari Mayor Mehmet Sıddık Akış due to a terror-related investigation before any verdict had been reached. Kurds consider this policy of trusteeship as anti-Kurd, undermining Kurdish autonomy and self-governance, in parallel with Turkey’s refusal to recognise the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).
