While the illegitimate AKP government that still has not resigned after 7 June elections continues to impose an all–out war concept in North Kurdistan, Peoples’ Assemblies in various settlements declare self-governance, saying that they no longer see legitimacy in state institutions run by administrators appointed by AKP.

Most recently, people’s assemblies have declared self-governance in İpekyolu district of Van, Sur district of Amed and in Hakkari.

VAN

People’s Democratic Assembly in Hacıbekir (Xaçort) neighbourhood in İpekyolu district of Van has declared that the assembly started working for building of self-governance of the people. In a press briefing participated by a large crowd, as well as DBP executives, members of Peace Mothers’ Assembly, co-mayors, the executives from the Assembly said they would not accept any administrators appointed by the illegitimate AKP government in their locals. İpekyolu People’s Assembly co-chair Mehmet Batu drew attention in his speech to the necessity for the freedom of the Kurdish Leader Abdullah Öcalan for a long lasting peace and reiterated that they will no longer recognise the administrators appointed from Ankara.

HAKKARİ

Hakkari Democratic City Assembly components have annnounced in a joint press conference that they started works for building of self-governance in Hakkari as the state institutions lost their legitimacy. The press conference held in front of the DBP building was attended by DBP and HDP executives, representatives from various NGOs, co-mayors, members of Peace Mothers’ Assembly as well as representatives of neighbourhood assemblies. Speaking at the conference, DBP executive İbrahim Çiftçi stressed that the AKP government has never abandoned its policies of denial and annihilation against the Kurdish people during the process of unilateral ceasefire, and drew attention to the provocations carried out in pre-election period and the massacres perpetrated after the elections. Çiftçi said they cannot continue to live under the rule of the state administration and institutions after all these massacres and attacks, although they do not entirely reject the state: “All the state institutions in this city have lost their legitimacy for us. None of the assigned administrator of the state can rule us. We, as the people, will build a democratic life on the basis of self-management and will undertake our self defence in the event of attacks. We will govern ourselves and our city”.

AMED

Peoples’ Assembly in Sur district of Amed held a press conference in front of Free Citizens’ Association in Hasırlı neighbourhood announcing that the assembly has started to work for building self-governance of the people in the district.

The press conference was attended by co-mayors of Sur Municipality, executives of Free Citizens’ Association, and a large group of local people. Reading out the press statement on behalf of the Sur Peoples’ Assembly, Güneş Sönmez said all the segments of the society and all communities will enjoy their own will to protect their own being and to ensure their freedom against the state repression imposed on the society. Sönmez remarked that they see building of self-governance as a vital need in the face of the all-out attacks of the state and the AKP government against the people.

Sönmez called on the Kurdistan youth, women, NGOs and all the segments of the society to join and to strengthen the building of democratic nation and self-governance, adding that it is impossible to accept the impositions of the illegitimate AKP government and the state on people to stay under their orders and act only in accordance with their orders and wishes. Sönmez said that they want to be governed by the administrations they have elected through democratic and legitimate means.

Sönmez said the detention of over a thousand persons in the last month, the ongoing arrests, executions out in the streets, burning of the forests, torturing of the bodies of martyrs demonstrate very well the all-out war declaration of the monist mentality against the people and the point where they want to drag the country to.

“We as democratically elected city assembly in Sur District hereby declare ourselves as the self-governing structure of the people against the fascist and the illegitimate regime. We, as the elected city assembly, declare that we take a stand against the all–out annihilation policies of the regime and that we will govern ourselves in line with our own will” said Sönmez in reading out the statement of the assembly, and urged the entire society to reclaim their will and join the building of self-governance.