Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) has issued a strong condemnation of ongoing judicial actions against opposition-led municipalities, describing the measures as a form of siege that harms voters and undermines local democracy.
In a statement released on Saturday, the party’s Central Executive Board said the judicial process targeting Istanbul’s metropolitan and other opposition municipalities has exceeded the original allegations and turned into an effort to incapacitate opposition administrations.
“The judicial process has become a tool to neutralise opposition municipalities, disrupt municipal services, and prevent the public from accessing essential services,” the DEM Party said. It emphasised that the detention and arrest of opposition officials and the appointment of trustees to municipal companies are actions that punish millions of residents in opposition-run areas.
DEM Party criticised the legal procedures for relying on unsubstantiated testimony and warned that such steps violate the principles of law and democracy. The statement highlighted concerns that these actions, taken during a sensitive period, are restricting democratic political space in Turkey.
While reaffirming its commitment to combating corruption and promoting clean politics, the party argued that confining such legal measures to opposition municipalities, while protecting municipalities governed by the ruling party, undermines the credibility of anti-corruption claims and raises fears of political targeting.
DEM’s statement concluded by calling for an end to operations that increase political polarisation, erode confidence in law and democracy, and damage hopes for peace and democratic governance. It insisted that “law must be applied impartially to all” and that municipalities “are the backbone of local democracy” which must be freed from judicial pressure.
