Nine municipalities in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) have publicly condemned Turkey’s recent dismissal of pro-Kurdish mayors in the cities of Mardin (Mêrdîn), Batman (Elîh), and Halfeti (Xelfêtî), voicing their solidarity with Kurdish resistance movements across the region.
Turkey’s Ministry of Interior replaced these democratically elected mayors from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party with government-appointed trustees on 4 November, sparking protests throughout Kurdish majority cities in Turkey and strong opposition from Syria’s Kurdish municipalities.
Municipal councils in Kobani (Kobanê), Qamishli (Qamişlo), al-Malikiyah (Dêrik), al-Maabadah (Girkê Legê), al-Qahtaniyah (Tirbespiyê), and the Sheikh Maqsoud (Şêx Meqsûd) and Ashrafiyeh neighbourhoods of Aleppo issued statements condemning Turkey’s interference, which they argued undermined democratic principles and Kurdish autonomy. These councils affirmed their alignment with Kurdish resistance, emphasising the importance of the “sanctity of the popular vote”.
Amal Shamdin, a member of Qamishli’s municipal council, strongly criticised the Turkish government, accusing the Justice and Development Party (AKP) – Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) ruling alliance of systematically suppressing Kurdish representation. Hazna Haji, a council member from al-Malikiyah, described Turkey’s actions as an affront to Kurdish human rights and values.
Statements of solidarity also emerged from additional municipalities. Abdus Salam Burgess, joint head of al-Maabadah’s municipality, publicly backed the resistance in Kurdish-majority cities in Turkey, condemning Turkey’s “seizure of political representation”. In Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh, joint mayor Mustafa Shahin called the dismissal of Kurdish mayors a severe violation of democratic values, affirming the municipality’s support for Turkey’s Kurdish resistance.
Mayors in al-Qahtaniyah and Chel Agha gathered outside their municipal buildings to publicly denounce the actions of Turkey’s ruling AKP-MHP coalition, calling for Kurdish resistance against what they labelled as Turkey’s “undemocratic seizure of power”. They expressed support for the ongoing movement in Turkey and solidarity with communities facing political repression.
In Tal Barak, council member Bousra Yusuf condemned Turkey’s actions as a “political massacre” of Kurdish rights and an assault on human values, calling for international awareness and solidarity. Leaders from 15 municipalities in Euphrates Canton also issued a joint declaration against Turkey’s actions, with Rewan Hami urging the Kurdish people in Turkey to maintain their resistance.
Further support came from the Union of Municipalities of Shahba (Şehba) and the Canton of Tabgha, which called for global condemnation of Turkey’s actions and endorsed the Kurdish people’s democratic aspirations across the region.
