The vigil that started in the city yesterday after Wan (Van) Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayor Abdullah Zeydan was sentenced to 3 years and 9 months in prison continues. Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chair Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar and Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları also joined the protest in front of the municipality today. 

 

ATTACK ON THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE

 

Abdullah Zeydan, Co-Mayor of Wan Metropolitan Municipality, said, "The people of Wan are defending their will despite this cold weather. Those who attack and persecute the will of the people are not ashamed of what they do. Those who commit corruption and theft steal the will of 1 million 200 people living in this city and say ‘we do not recognise you’. We will protect the will of this people at all costs. We, who are part of such a noble struggle, those who struggle for democracy, peace and justice, will defend our honour against this shamelessness. We will show those who impose dishonour on us how honourable we are. We are the ones who are right and who defend democracy."

 

RESPONSE TO THE POLICY OF NO SOLUTION 

 

DBP Co-Chair Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar said, "Kurds have been marching towards freedom for 100 years. Now the children and women in Wan are doing what democracy requires. They entered the election with all kinds of tricks, they sent voters, but Wan taught them another lesson. Wan taught a lesson to the state mind's policies of trustee, war, denial and assimilation. That judgement is null and void in the eyes of Kurds. None of our mayors are guilty. Those who are guilty are the minds of the state. We need a new social contract. We have won Wan twice. Now there is a third trustee attempt and we will win this one too. The people of Wan will respond to these unresolution policies of the state mind." 

 

‘TIME TO TALK ABOUT THE NEW ERA’

 

Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar said that Turkey's most important problem is the Kurdish issue and added, "Even if you build new agendas in this country, the main problem is the Kurdish issue. You set up conspiracies, but the Kurds gave a lesson in democracy. Now we will talk about the new era with the Kurdish people and Kurdish people's leader Mr Öcalan. The new era must be characterised by democratic solution and peace. No one is making any noise, but there is a great effort in 12 square metres of space in İmralı and it is time for us to support this effort. The Kurdish people will fight against the special war policies with Mr Öcalan's paradigm."

 

‘THIS DECISION IS NULL AND VOID’

 

Tülay Hatimoğulları congratulated the resistance of the people of Wan and said, "No single party has won all the municipalities in any province in Turkey. But Wan managed to make 14-0. They cannot digest this. Our co-mayors worked and served against the destruction caused by the trustee mentality that tortured the people. Get your hands off our municipalities, we want to produce service. By punishing Mr Zeydan, they are paving the way for something. This punishment is null and void in our eyes, in the eyes of the people and even in the eyes of the law. Although the expert's report is obvious, giving a sentence when he should have been acquitted immediately is paving the way for something else."

 

'EVERYONE'S EYES ARE ON WAN'

 

Tülay Hatimoğulları said that they will continue to stand in solidarity with the people of Wan all around Turkey and added: "Everyone's heart is beating for Wan right now, east and west, north and south of Turkey. Everyone is looking forward to what Wan will experience in the coming period. Abdullah Zeydan, Neslihan Şedal and all our elected officials are our honour. Our biggest request from you is that we do not leave this square, this tent against those who want to usurp the will of our municipality. We will win through resistance, we will win through struggle, we will win through determination, we will win to serve ourselves and our city."

 

After the speeches, people danced halay.