Paris City Council passed a resolution on 22 November condemning the Turkish government’s actions against Kurdish mayors, including the recent dismissal of co-mayors in Mardin (Mêrdîn), Batman (Êlih) and Halfeti (Xelfetî) on terrorism charges. The council demanded their immediate release and reinstatement.

In recent years, Turkey’s government has dismissed Kurdish mayors in more than 100 municipalities, predominanatly from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, its sister parties, and the main opposition party the Republican Peoples’ Party (CHP), replacing them with state-appointed trustees in a move Paris officials denounce as democratic suppression.

“The trustee system and imprisonment represent a denial of democracy and justice aimed at preventing Kurdish participation in local democracy and the implementation of DEM Party programmes,’ said Paris Councillor Geneviève Garrigos.

Deputy Mayor Arnaud Ngatcha highlighted recent cases, including the removal of Ahmet Özer, a CHP mayor from İstanbul’s largest district Esenyurt, on 31 October. “These dismissals violate fundamental democratic principles and deny justice to Kurdish citizens who deserve to have their electoral choices respected,” he explained.

Raphaëlle Primet, Paris Municipal Councillor, pointed to broader implications: “These municipalities play a central role in establishing direct links between Kurdish policies and people through action in critical areas such as language, education, women’s rights, culture and art.”

Geoffroy Boulard, Mayor of the 17th Arondissement, stressed the role of the Kurds in fighting ISIS: “The Kurdish-allied party’s mayors are accused of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) connections, which serves as justification for their dismissal or arrest. Kurds have been key allies in the fight against ISIS, and the repression they are suffering today is intolerable.”