Abdullah Zeydan, of the pro-Kurdish leftist Peoples Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Parti), was elected in a landslide as co-mayor of the Turkish city of Van in 2024.
The Turkish government tried to use the judiciary to stop his inauguration, but when , they waited 10 months before suspending him and replacing him with a government-appointed trustee.
Zeydan has been in Strasbourg since October 28 as one of two DEM Parti delegates to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, where Sarah Glynn interviewed him on October 29. Fayik Yagizay acted an interpreter, and the interview has been lightly edited.
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When the Turkish government tried to prevent you from being inaugurated as mayor there were international protests. How significant were these in helping to stop the government’s actions?
Of course, those solidarity actions had an impact.
First, the people of Van reacted to the government’s blow against their will and against democratic elections. Despite all the government’s anti-democratic practices, we got 55% of the vote in the election, but they tried to use the judiciary to give the certificate to the runner up from the AKP [the ruling Justice and Development Party] who got only 26%.
The people of Van received this as a blow against their will and against their honour, and reacted very strongly. To protect their will and to protect democratic rights in Turkey more generally, they took to the streets. That uprising of the people and their democratic protest had an impact throughout Turkey and even internationally. There was reaction from Turkish democratic forces, and reaction internationally from democratic forces and international organisations.
After all these internal and external reactions, they had to give me my mandate and certificate. This showed we can succeed with solidarity and by acting together.
But only months later you were replaced by a trustee. Do you think international politicians and organisations could have done more to intervene at that stage?
It is about 10 years that democracy has been under attack … The purpose of international organisations – especially the Council of Europe – is to protect human rights and democracy, but dismissing elected mayors and appointing trustees is an attack on democracy, human rights, the rule of law and freedoms.
Recently — especially in the past 10 years — international organisations have not been acting against the anti-democratic policies of the Turkish government. We believe that they are not fulfilling their responsibilities.
The responsibility of the international organisations — especially the European organisations — is to defend key values and react against these anti-democratic acts of the Turkish government. They do not do this, and we see that the Turkish government is acting according to their own agenda.
Before, you weren’t allowed to come to Strasbourg. Why have they changed their minds now? Why have you been allowed to come this time?
The travel ban against me was not a decision of the court. It was from the Interior Minister of Turkey, and was unlawful and undemocratic. It is a very clear example of how the Turkish state acts undemocratically. A member of the Congress is being prevented from attending its sessions.
But why did they change their mind this time?
It is very strange and very contradictory that while I was acting as a mayor there was a travel ban on me, and after they appointed a trustee, they lifted this ban.
There was a trustee running our municipality before, resulting in a lot of destruction. To repair this, we needed to come to Europe and meet with our partners and friends. Maybe they wanted to prevent us from this cooperation.
To be honest, I don’t know why they prevented me, nor why they allow me now.
The government’s attention has moved from the DEM Parti to the Republican Peoples Party (CHP), yet you have not been reinstated, and no one has been released from prison. Can the peace process survive this new attack on democracy?
We are hopeful, and we believe this war should be off the agenda of the Turkish state. The call made by Mr [Abdullah] Öcalan on February 27 was very important and historic. Mr Öcalan stated that the denial of the Kurdish people, which has lasted hundreds of years, is now not possible. Now it has become possible to achieve our rights through democratic means, not through war.
For real peace, there should be democracy. As the party that has suffered the most from these anti-democratic forces, we believe that to build a democratic and peaceful state, we have to work together, hand in hand with the democratic opposition.
The values that we are defending are universal and very comprehensive. These values are not only for the DEM Parti or CHP [the main opposition party]. We are defending these universal values for everyone. And we want to note our other values: comprehensive inclusive equality, gender equality and ecology. This is our philosophy.
Could you say a little bit more about how this latest government clampdown on the CHP has impacted relations between the CHP and the DEM Parti?
We defend peace, rule of law and democracy as a principle. We criticise, and will never accept, the anti-democratic acts against the CHP. While continuing to try to maintain the peace process, we constantly state that we are against these anti-democratic acts. In a conflict situation, it is difficult to stop anti-democratic actions, but if this war is ended there is more chance of achieving a peaceful and democratic country
How have the peace process and the clampdown on the CHP changed attitudes towards the DEM Parti in the wider population?
People know that the DEM Parti is struggling for peace, democracy and the rule of law. People know that the DEM Parti’s struggle and its attempts to preserve peace and democratic values is for all Turkey’s population.
You started off being quite critical of the Council of Europe, so what more would you ask them to do?
We know that there is cooperation and solidarity with the struggle of the Kurdish people and with our party’s politics for peace and democracy. We appreciate this, but we know that more should be done.
For example, in order to enact the European Court of Human Rights decisions in Turkey, the Council of Europe can play a better role. We know that there was a court judgement about the “Right to Hope” [i.e. the possibility of parole] for Mr Öcalan and many others. It has not been implemented.
And the judgements of the court with respect to our former co-chairs, Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, and Aysel Tuğluk, me and many other [wrongly convicted] politicians are still not being implemented. Also for Osman Kavala.
At least for the implementation of the court’s judgements, we believe that the Council of Europe could do and should do more.
What is the current situation with your own case?
If they implemented the European Court of Human Rights decision, then I would be acquitted and the case could not be used as an excuse to dismiss me and appoint a trustee. Instead, they sentenced me to three and a half years imprisonment. The case is still at the high court [for appeal] and is being kept there.
And will it hang over you like a sword of Damocles?
Normally, the high court should send it back to the lower court to make an acquittal, but then there would be no argument for having a trustee.
Beyond the denial of democracy, what has it meant for the people of Van that they’ve not had their mayors?
The will of the people is the honour of the people. For 10 years the Turkish government has taken the will and honour of the people from them. They will never accept these anti-democratic acts against their will.
The proof is the last elections. Van has 14 sub-municipalities. Despite all the repression and anti-democratic acts by the government, we took all 14. This is proof that they will never accept the trustee regime.
What policies would you have implemented that would be different from what the trustee has done?
We would have served the people of our city. The trustee is not doing anything for the people. Despite lack of resources, during the eight months that we remained in power, we did more than the trustees did in 10 years. With our paradigm for ecology, democracy and gender equality, and acting together with the people, we were more successful in meeting the people’s demands.
[Sarah Glynn is a writer and activist — visit and follow her on or .]