The people of Agri are defending their votes
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The people of Agri went on the streets after it came out that 3,000 votes for the DTP in Agri had not been counted in the local elections on March 29. When the DTP made an application at the City and District Election Council three times and were rejected with the claim that the result of the elections in Agri would not change at all if the 3,000 votes were counted, many people from other cities around Agri came to the city to defend Agri people's votes. Thousands of people gathering in front of the DTP's election office on March 30 where Pervin Buldan, DTP deputy of Igdir, said the following: "If we don't get any result from here, we will bring this question on the agenda in Ankara. However, if we don't get any result there, then everybody must know that we won't let anyone take office as mayor. We will make our people come here from whole Kurdistan, first of all from Van, Diyarbakir and Mus. Everyone should know this for sure." {divide}
Alongside with more and more Kurdish people coming to the city, the police is increasing its number. As a result of the brutal police attack on the people on the evening of March 30, 4 people were injured and 20 arrested and later on imprisoned charged to be "members of an illegal organisation" and "having done propaganda of an illegal organisation". On April 2, the police again attacked the people in Agri using gas bombs, tanks and truncheons. The situation has become similar to an emergency state de facto and nearly 100 people were punched and arrested. Dozens of people were injured, some of them heavily. Agri Governor who has been called on by the people to resign has threatened the DTP deputies. In a press meeting Pervin Buldan organised in the evening hours, she said: "As from now on the mayor of Agri is Murat Ozturk. This people have shown their own will and elected Murat Ozturk." Police and soldiers have actually occupied the city where the emergency state de facto continues. On the morning of April 3, the people of Agri have started to gather again in front of the DTP election office. It was said that during ID controls the police is arresting anyone who is not registered as a citizen of Agri. The police continued to attack and arrest many people in the following days.