Protests have broken out across the Kurdish-majority city Van (Wan) following the Turkish government’s appointment of a trustee to the Van Metropolitan Municipality, a move condemned by Kurdish political representatives as an assault on democratic governance.
Crowds gathered in Beşyol Square, where pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party MPs, municipal co-mayors, and party officials attempted to stage a march but were surrounded by police, who prevented the demonstration. Several protesters were beaten and detained, while surrounding civilians expressed solidarity through chants and applause. Clashes later spread to Cumhuriyet Avenue, where further arrests were reported.
At a press conference in Ankara, DEM Party Co-chairs Tülay Hatimoğulları and Tuncer Bakırhan strongly denounced the government’s decision, likening it to a political coup.
Hatimoğulları linked the trustee appointment to the ongoing discussions on the Kurdish political issue, stating:
“You [the government] ask about dialogue and reconciliation, yet on a symbolic day like 15 February, you impose an anti-democratic trustee on Van, a city that has long been a symbol of Kurdish resistance. Is your aim to sabotage the process?”
She also directed questions at President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who had been discussing democracy and reforms during a recent diplomatic visit abroad, only for a trustee to be appointed immediately upon his return.
“How do you expect the world to believe in your commitments to democracy when your government systematically removes elected officials?”
The other co-chair, Tuncer Bakırhan, emphasised that the trustee appointment disregards the democratic will of the Kurdish electorate, warning that the people of Van, who gave 14 out of 14 district municipalities to the DEM Party, would respond with resistance.
“A government that cannot defeat the people at the ballot box resorts to repression. But Van will once again prove that it stands by its elected leaders.”
Bakırhan also criticised the judiciary’s role in legitimising the government’s crackdown, highlighting that Kurdish mayors face politicised legal cases aimed at removing them from office.
“You criminalise democratically elected representatives while appointing unelected bureaucrats by force. This injustice will not be forgotten.”
The trustee appointment comes amid ongoing discussions on the Kurdish political resolution and coincides with 15 February, a symbolic date marking the anniversary of Abdullah Öcalan’s abduction in 1999. Critics argue that the government’s decision reflects a broader pattern of state intervention against Kurdish self-governance.
As protests continue in Van and Ankara, observers warn that the appointment risks escalating tensions between the government and Kurdish political actors, potentially jeopardising any future political dialogue.
