Kars Co-Mayor Bilgen: They Resort to Death Threats Because They Can't Appoint a Trustee

Photo: Bilal Seçkin

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Co-mayors of the eastern province of Kars, Ayhan Bilgen and Şevin Alaca, have been threatened by some groups in the city and on social media for a while.

On April 19, three people attacked the municipality building. It was later revealed that they were previously convicted of robbery, injury and drug crimes. They were shortly detained over the attack.

More recently, unknown people threatened Bilgen with death on social media, referring to the Gendarmerie Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism (JİTEM) organization, which was allegedly responsible for thousands of forced disappearances in the Kurdish-majority provinces during the conflict in the 1990s.

"They resort to these [threats] because they can't appoint a trustee," Bilgen told bianet. "They are trying to create public opinion to appoint a trustee with the allegations that documents are destroyed in the municipality and that the municipality sends food to some people. Because all these are not well-received among the public, they resort to threats to create intimidation."

Since the 2019 local elections, the Ministry of Interior has replaced 45 mayors from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), which Bilgen is also a member of, with trustees.

Dismissing the co-mayors would "polarize" the city

But in the case of Kars, the people of the city are not convinced that the co-mayors should be dismissed, according to Bilgen. "In the Municipal Council, almost all decisions are made with a consensus," he said.

Had a trustee been appointed, people of the city would have been polarized between the HDP and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which would neither benefit the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) nor the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), according to the co-mayor. "Maybe this is why they don't want to appoint a trustee."

All three people —Z. B., F. E. ve Y. A— who attacked the municipality were known people in the city whereas those who threatened the mayor on social media have not been identified, the mayor said.

Authorities' failing to take deterrent action against those attackers encourage others to threaten them on social media, he noted. "We don't expect those who do not deal with known people to do anything about troll accounts, fake accounts. But we do our part and in any case and submit these to the prosecutor's office."

Same old methods

The three attackers were detained for a short period and then released. In their statements to the police, they accused Bilgen of "trying to send them to the mountains," he said. "The mountains" refers to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

"This is completely the same scenario. People who have a criminal record were used in this type of stuff in the past as well, now we face the same situation.

"In the city, there are small interest groups that ensure such statements are made against us. Groups that cast a political role, a mission for themselves.

"What happened is a reflection of the mentality that regards the HDP as an enemy. Making people who were convicted before commit new crimes is a known, old method in Turkey. This is being continued."

"People don't approve threats and attacks"

However, he said, neither the people of the city nor other political parties than the MHP approve these attacks and threats, even if they have not been vocal about it.

Though the death threat on Sunday (May 17) was not the only one lately, he noted. "A picture with a handful of bullets was sent on Twitter a few weeks before. It was also sent on Instagram two days ago. Threats have become widespread lately."

But they wouldn't take a step back because of threats, he said.

"The city has problems waiting to be solved for years, such as roads and public transport. These are problems that haven't been solved for years. The public expects service. And we are performing these services.

"We are doing socialist municipalism. In response to not be afraid of gangs, not making the municipality an instrument of relationships of interest, we are being threatened. But if some think that we will take a step back because of these threats, they are dreaming." (RT/VK)