Turkish Authorities Crack Down: Symbolic Figure of Trustee Protests Detained Amid Torture Allegations

An English wall

The protester who went viral for his speech during the protests against the dismissal of Batman Mayor Gülistan Sönük and the appointment of a trustee by the Turkish Ministry of Interior has been held under torture.

According to the İhlas News Agency (İHA) report, the protester was the one who made the famous comments during the protests on the first day the trustee’s decision was announced, “We chose this mayor ourselves, we worked day and night, our old people chose a mayor. We are the people, you are the colonizers, leave this place, Governor, you are usurping the will of the people, even Israel is better than you.”

Sönük won in Batman with 64.52% of the vote, defeating her closest competitor from the Free Causes Party (HÜDA-PAR.), a radical Islamist and misogynist ally of the ruling coalition.

The protester’s speech on the street against the police who barricaded the municipality building went viral on social media platforms.

However, pictures of him after he was taken into custody showed clear signs of abuse on his face, with visible bruises and a black eye.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Governor of Batman, who now also runs the municipality, announced that an investigation had been launched into police officers following the controversial images of the arrests which sparked a public backlash.

Eight are kept in Halfeti

In the Halfeti district of Şanlıurfa, another municipality lost its mayor from the People’s Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), the protests continued on the third day.

At least 16 people protesting in front of the municipal building were arrested in a police attack.

Police take protesters into custody.

140 are retained in trustee protests

The General Directorate of Security reported that 16 security personnel were injured during the trustee protests in 8 states, and a total of 140 protesters were detained.

It was also announced that legal proceedings had been initiated against 75 users of accounts identified as having made “provocative posts” on social media platforms.

Hundreds form a human chain in Van to protest trustee appointments

The protests also continued in the eastern province of Van where people had regained their pro-DEM mayor after the appointment of a trustee in May.

The protests, which have been going on for days in support of the municipalities where trustees have been appointed, have been held under heavy obstruction by the police.

During the protest on November 6, hundreds of people linked arms and formed a human chain stretching hundreds of meters in the center of the city. As slogans were frequently chanted, a parallel police cordon was also formed.

The human chain is mirrored by a police chain in Van.