Thousands in Kurdish-majority city of Van (Wan) braved sub-zero temperatures overnight, rallying against the prison sentence of their elected mayor, Abdullah Zeydan. Protesters lit fires, danced, and vowed to resist any attempt to remove him from office, as tensions rise ahead of a mass demonstration.
Thousands of residents in the eastern Turkish city of Van (Wan) braved freezing temperatures to protest overnight following the sentencing of their elected mayor, Abdullah Zeydan, on Tuesday, 11 February. Demonstrators fear that the 3-year, 9-month prison sentence could lead to his removal from office and the appointment of a government trustee in his place.
Protesters gathered outside the Van Metropolitan Municipality, lighting fires and dancing in circles, while young demonstrators launched fireworks into the night sky. With temperatures plummeting to -10°C, they vowed to continue their vigil. The protest, which began on Tuesday morning, has drawn national attention, with several opposition politicians, including the co-mayors of Diyarbakır (Amed) and the dismissed co-mayor of Tunceli (Dersim), joining the demonstration.
Speaking to the crowd, Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayor Doğan Hatun said, “Van’s people are once again defending their will. Just as you delivered a historic lesson in the March 31 elections, you will do so again.” Siraç Çelik, Co-President of the Southeastern Anatolia Municipalities Union, added, “We will never allow this coup against our will.”
The unrest has spread beyond the city centre. In the İpekyolu (Rêya Armûşe) district’s Demiryolu neighbourhood, youths erected barricades and clashed with police, hurling stones and Molotov cocktails in response to security forces’ intervention. Similar protests have erupted in other districts, increasing tensions across the province.
Demonstrations are expected to escalate, with the pro-Kurdish Democratic Regions Party (DBP) and the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) Party announcing a mass rally outside the municipality at noon on Wednesday. DEM Party Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları and DBP Co-Chair Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar are set to address the crowd, as concerns grow over potential state intervention against Zeydan’s administration.
With the opposition viewing the ruling as a political move, tensions remain high in Van, where protesters insist they will not allow a government-appointed trustee to replace their democratically elected mayor.