Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party MP Mehmet Rüştü Tiryaki has condemned the Turkish government’s appointment of trustees in elected municipalities, calling it a violation of democratic principles and an act of cultural destruction targeting Kurdish identity. Speaking during a parliamentary debate on a DEM Party motion to investigate the impact of trusteeships, Tiryaki accused the ruling AKP of undermining Kurdish culture and governance.
‘Trusteeships are hostility against Kurds’
Tiryaki highlighted that since 2016, trustees have been appointed 149 times in Kurdish-majority municipalities, replacing democratically elected mayors. “This is not governance, this is enmity against Kurds. Through the trustees, you have committed cultural genocide against Kurdish heritage,” he said.
He argued that the trusteeship system ignored the will of millions of voters. “We came to office not by chance, but with the support of millions. Yet you have replaced us with unelected trustees, depriving citizens of their right to vote,” Tiryaki said, noting that even AKP voters in the affected regions opposed the trusteeship system.
‘A century of progress in local governance’
Citing examples of local government achievements, Tiryaki outlined the transformative work of elected administrations prior to the imposition of trusteeship. “From 1999 to 2016, we solved major infrastructure problems, ensured access to clean drinking water in cities like Diyarbakır, and created parks that will serve communities for decades. For the first time, women played a leading role in municipal governance, creating directorates for women’s initiatives and driving progress that marked a century of change in Turkey,” he said.
Cultural destruction under curatorship
Tiryaki detailed the cultural damage caused by the trusteeship, accusing it of targeting the Kurdish language and heritage. “We established bilingual municipal services using Kurdish, Turkish, Arabic and Syriac to serve different communities. The trustees wiped out this progress by removing the Kurdish language.”
According to Tiryaki, 21 cultural centres were closed, including the Berivan Cultural Centre in Van and the Aram Tigran Conservatory in Diyarbakır (Amed). Thousands of students participating in arts and culture programmes were left without opportunities, and major cultural events, including exhibitions and theatre performances, were cancelled.
‘10,000 books lost’
Tiryaki also highlighted the mismanagement of public funds by the trustees. “In Gürpınar, the trustee not only removed the name of a library, but closed it altogether. At the Cegerxwîn Culture and Art Centre in Kayapınar, we had 10,000 books – only 300 were left. The rest disappeared,” he said.
He pointed to the immediate actions of administrators in newly seized municipalities, such as the removal of Kurdish language services from official websites, as clear evidence of anti-Kurdish policies.
Tiryaki accused the trustees of financial mismanagement that has saddled the municipalities with unsustainable debts. “In Halfeti, a municipality with an annual income of 8 million liras, the trustee left behind a debt of 1 billion liras. It will take a decade to pay it off,” he said.
Government defends appointments
AKP MP Murat Alparslan defended the government’s actions, accusing the dismissed mayors of links to terrorism. But Tiryaki questioned this claim, saying: “You have appointed 149 trustees, but you have no evidence of wrongdoing or terrorism. These allegations are baseless and amount to a smear campaign against Kurdish elected officials.”
The DEM Party’s motion to investigate the effects of the trusteeships was rejected by AKP and MHP MPs.
