The Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) has released the final declaration of its Central Committee (Party Assembly) meeting, held on July 22 in Ankara.
The declaration included the following statements: “Our Central Committee meeting coincided with the 13th anniversary of the Rojava Revolution, which was launched by the peoples of Northern and Eastern Syria on July 19, 2012. We salute the Rojava Revolution and remember with gratitude those who gave their lives for the equality and freedom of peoples. We also commemorate the 33 Dream Voyagers who were massacred in Suruç on their way to Kobanê to show solidarity with those resisting the darkness of ISIS. On the 10th anniversary of the massacre, our Party Assembly reaffirms its commitment to their ideals of peace, equality, freedom, and socialism.”
Middle East
Our Party Assembly convened at a historic time marked by critical developments in Turkey, the Middle East, and globally. It discussed these developments in depth, once again evaluating the problems and possible paths toward solutions. At the regional level, recent events in Syria and Gaza have once again demonstrated that the model born from the Rojava Revolution, built and defended through immense labor, sacrifice, and the lives of the peoples of Northern and Eastern Syria, is the only real alternative for a solution and a future for the peoples of the region. Following the recent jihadist attacks targeting Alevi and Christian communities, the massacre of hundreds of Druze people in Sweida (Suwayda) in the days just before our meeting, carried out by ISIS-minded mercenaries, has pushed Syria once again to the brink of civil war. Yet the solution is clear: it lies in all the peoples of Syria, with their full diversity and political visions, freely and collectively determining the future of the country and becoming the true subjects of its reconstruction. Ignoring Syria’s multi-ethnic and multi-faith social fabric and imposing a monist state model will do nothing but deepen the pain imposed by dominant powers and aggravate the country’s unresolved crises.
The recent developments in Gaza also reveal deeply troubling realities for all of humanity. Israel’s attacks on civilians standing in line for food and water in Gaza, and the deaths of many women and children due to starvation and disease caused by the blockade of food, medicine, and medical supplies, show the devastating extent of this inhumane approach.
The process
One of the most significant topics addressed by our Party Assembly was undoubtedly the new phase that has emerged following the “Call for Peace and Democratic Society” declared by Mr. Öcalan on February 27. In a context where the Kurdish question has remained unresolved for over a century, developments within the past year, from the message in Parliament on October 1, 2024, to Mr. Öcalan’s historic video address on July 9, 2025, and the symbolic act of disarmament in Sulaymaniyah on July 11, have brought renewed possibilities for a democratic and peaceful resolution.
These developments demonstrate the clear and determined will to transition from an era of armed conflict to one of democratic politics. In his July 9 message, Mr. Öcalan described the current phase as one of “democratic politics” and “holistic law.” He emphasized that while a constitutional framework is the ultimate goal, the initial steps must be taken in the legal and political fields, pointing specifically to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey as the place where these steps must begin. At the heart of the message lie laws of democratic/positive integration and laws of freedom, which aim to construct a new social contract based on equality among all peoples.
In this context, the commission to be established within Parliament will have a historic function. Our party will make every effort to ensure that the work of this commission yields meaningful and healthy results and that the subsequent steps are taken accordingly.
The act of burning weapons on July 11 in Sulaymaniyah (Silêmanî) represents a bold and decisive closing chapter in half a century of armed struggle. The Kurdish Movement, before the eyes of the world, has made an irreversible and determined declaration of will, while also extending a call to the state and those in power.
Ending the era of armed conflict carries historical importance. The legal reforms required by this step will also open the path to democratization within society. A lasting and democratic solution to the Kurdish question can only be achieved through legal regulations and an open, democratic environment where those regulations can be debated and enacted.
Every constructive step taken from this point forward will strengthen peace, deepen public faith in democracy in Turkey, and expand the foundation for coexistence and equal citizenship.
Meetings
The majority of the nearly 2,000 public meetings organized by our party within the framework of a democratic society and peace perspective have been successfully held. Throughout these gatherings, it became unequivocally clear that peace will be the product and outcome of decades of labor, sacrifices made, and the struggle and ownership that have risen from society itself. The participation of women, youth, workers, retirees, faith communities, and ecological movements demonstrated that the matter at hand requires not only a political resolution but a deeply layered social transformation. It is essential to draw a direct connection between the socialization of peace and the resolution of urgent societal issues such as the economy, ecology, and gender equality.
With this vision, approach, and determination, the DEM Party is the most fundamental actor within the realm of democratic politics and will strengthen this role even further in the coming period. The stronger, more committed, and determined participation of society in this process depends on the government taking immediate and concrete democratic steps. It is evident that what this process needs is not delay, but democratic steps that build trust.
We call upon democratic forces, labor and professional organizations, women’s and youth movements, faith communities, ecological and rights-based organizations, and each and every citizen of conscience: We can only grow peace together. We can only socialize it by struggling together. And we can crown peace with democracy. With this aim, let us turn our public meetings into broader local forums; let us establish peace and democracy platforms in every province and district; let us follow every instance of rights violations, environmental destruction, femicide, child abuse, and labor exploitation as part of this process.
We have made a promise to our peoples, a promise of peace and democracy. Now is the time to fulfill that promise through democratic law, democratic institutions, and societal participation.