DİYARBAKIR - Sur Co-Mayor Filiz Buluttekin, who was dismissed from office and replaced by a trustee, was held in prison for 6 months and was released after that. Stating that they are on trial for files created for revenge, Buluttekin said: "This attitude is an attack against the will of the people."

 

Stating that the work she had done during her duty as the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Diyarbakır Provincial Co-Chair had been criminalized, Buluttekin said: "The charges clearly aimed to criminalize HDP as a party. They tried to create crimes from speeches I made as the provincial co-chair in 2017. The same prosecutor opened 12 other investigations against me and all were closed with the decision of non prosecution. But he kept starting investigations against me, knowing that there are no crimes there anyway. This is done out of revenge and it is an attack against our co-chair system."

 

 

Stating that she had been subjected to many violations of rights from the moment she was taken into custody until she was released from prison, Buluttekin said: "The police laid me and my ten year old child on the ground during the raid on my home and pointed their guns to our heads. I was sent to Diyarbakır Type T Prison after that. I stayed there for a week and exiled to Erzurum. This attitude against us is an attack against the will of the people. "

 

'WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN'

 

Pointing out that the co-chair system is transparent and democratic, Buluttekin said that the arrest of the co-chairs is a message to the women. Buluttekin said: "We will continue with our path. Our responsibilities continue as well. The support of the people is enourmous and we can feel that. We all saw the end of the trustees in the last period. Whatever they do we will not back down. We greet the people of Sur."

 

 

MA / Arjin Dilek Öncel