The recent arrest of Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer and his replacement by a government-appointed trustee have triggered significant protests in İstanbul, with opposition leaders condemning the move as an assault on democratic governance.
As demonstrators filled Esenyurt Square on Thursday, political leaders, legal experts and local residents voiced their opposition to what they called a “trustee regime.” The rally, organised by the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party and the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), saw a strong call for unity against a system that critics say “tramples on law and democracy.”
DEM Party Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları addressed the crowd, urging, “Let’s not allow the trustee regime to continue. We will resist this regime together for a democratic republic.” She added, “Trusteeship is an assault on the will of the people—our fight for democracy won’t end here.”
İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu also spoke at the rally, criticising the trustee appointments as attempts to “protect a corrupt regime through anti-democratic interference.” He asserted, “They want to take back what they lost at the ballot box by undermining the judiciary. In their hands, the law is just a tool for silencing opposition and consolidating power.”
Ahmet Özer, currently held in Marmara Prison No. 9, sent a message from detention, which CHP leader Özgür Özel read aloud to supporters. “I will emerge stronger and continue my services from where I left off,” Özer’s message stated, calling on his staff to remain dedicated and ensure that “citizens should not suffer.”
Thirty-eight bar associations also condemned Özer’s arrest and the trustee appointment, calling it unconstitutional and an attempt to override local electoral choices. They argued, “This is a crackdown on democracy, a power grab masked as legal authority,” urging authorities to end the trustee practice to preserve democratic principles.
In a separate protest in Diyarbakır (Amed), Democratic Society Congress (DTK) Co-Chair Berdan Öztürk questioned the government’s commitment to local representation, saying, “How can you claim to respect democracy when you trample on the rights of those who are democratically elected?” Diyarbakır Co-Mayor Doğan Hatun accused trustees of bringing “corruption, conflict and division,” describing the appointments as “an attack on peace and unity.”
Meanwhile, it was revealed that the Turkish Interior Ministry recently promoted Can Aksoy from Beyoğlu District Governor to İstanbul Deputy Governor specifically to enable his appointment as Esenyurt’s trustee. Initially, Beşiktaş District Governor Oğuzhan Bingöl was considered for the role, but Aksoy’s assignment was finalised overnight with presidential approval.
