Source: SPoD, “Akdeniz Belediyesi’ne atanan kayyumun kaldırılmasını ve Yüksel Mutlu’nun görevine iade edilmesini talep ediyoruz” (“We demand that the government trustee appointed to the Akdeniz Municipality be dismissed and for Yüksel Mutlu to be reinstated”), 20 December 2016, http://www.spod.org.tr/turkce/akdeniz-belediyesine-atanan-kayyumun-kaldirilmasini-ve-yuksel-mutlunun-gorevine-iade-edilmesini-talep-ediyoruz/
Mersin Akdeniz Municipality Co-Mayor Yüksel Mutlu, who signed SPoD’s LGBTI Friendly Municipalities Protocol during the local elections of 2014 and supported our campaign, was taken into custody on December 12, 2016. It was announced that a trustee was appointed to Akdeniz Municipality.
We want to share our concern for the appointment of a trustee to the municipality and for Yüksel Mutlu’s detention. We have known Mutlu by the support she gave to the LGBTI movement, not only during the election period, but also after she was elected.
Akdeniz Municipality is a model local government with its work with 7 Renk [7 Colours –trans.] LGBTI Association and its services for LGBTIs. In particular, after the establishment of the Equality Unit, we look forward to an increase in Akdeniz Municipality’s services and policies in support of LGBTIs. The detention of its elected government and the appointment of a trustee are against the democratic principles.
As SPoD, we believe that the independence and freedom of the local governments should be protected, and thereby the number of exemplary municipalities that offer solutions to LGBTIs’ problems should be increased. Therefore, we demand that the government trustee appointed to the Akdeniz Municipality be dismissed and that Yüksel Mutlu be reinstated!
20/12/2016
SPoD