As part of the Peace and Democratic Society Process, the National Solidarity, Brotherhood, and Democracy Commission, which was established in Parliament and continues its work, listened to the Saturday Mothers and Peace Mothers on 20 August. Commission Chair Numan Kurtulmuş, who invited the Peace Mothers, prevented Kurdish-speaking mothers from speaking by citing parliamentary bylaws. This incident in the commission sparked reactions from representatives of political and civil society organizations.
Speaking to ANF about the Kurdish language ban in the commission, Kurdish linguist Zana Farqînî said: “A new process began with the call of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan. The PKK’s decision to lay down arms and the formation of a commission in Parliament created hope among the people for peace and equality. But so far, we have not seen any steps taken to meet the demands of the Kurdish people. Because the state frames the process under the title of a ‘Turkey without terrorism,’ while the Kurdish side interprets it as a ‘democratic society.’
If there is a problem, then peace between the two sides is necessary to resolve it. Peace is built on rights, law, and justice. The people are very curious about how the process will proceed. The Kurdish people don’t know whether their demands, their language, culture, identity, and status will be recognized.
A process has begun, and in this process politics and negotiation have replaced war and conflict. A commission was formed; this commission listens to both sides. From now on, practical steps must be taken for peace. But until now, no practical steps have been taken. The Kurdish side hopes for peace as soon as possible. They want the war and conflict-ridden process to end. They want their identity, existence, and culture to be recognized in this land.”
There is distrust toward the State’
Farqînî added: “Looking at the name of the commission, there is ‘brotherhood,’ but what kind of brotherhood? Is it the so-called brotherhood that has been spoken of since the founding of the Republic? That brotherhood had neither names nor rights. In fact, that brotherhood was the reason for war and conflict. Or is it a brotherhood that recognizes the existence, identity, and rights of the Kurds, one built on justice? No one would oppose that kind of brotherhood.
Recently, during the commission meeting, the Peace Mothers wanted to speak in their mother tongue, but they were not allowed. Such approaches undermine faith in the process. The root of this issue lies in the assimilation policies imposed on the Kurdish language. Kurdish has been banned and attacked in every field. For this reason, there is distrust towards the State; people cannot trust the state because of their experiences in past processes.
But everyone wants peace. They want the conflict-ridden process to end and a solution to be found through dialogue. If we are truly talking about peace and democracy, then steps must be taken accordingly.”
Policies of denial must be abandoned
Zana Farqînî stated that the Turkish state must immediately abandon its homogenizing policies, which it has pursued since its founding: “The state must abandon the policies it has pursued since the founding of the Republic and act according to the country’s sociological structure. It must eliminate the factors that cause war and conflict and abandon its policies of denial. If we are talking about a new century, then we have a modern world ahead of us. By looking at the practices of this modern world, steps toward democratization can be taken. Turkey, by taking as an example modern countries that ended wars, can act accordingly.
It must give up its old clichés. Homogenizing policies disrupt peace and prevent it from being established. War and conflict emerged because of this denial. The problem must now be taken out of the conflict framework and resolved through negotiation. Now such a ground exists. From now on, steps should be taken for all peoples, and an atmosphere of trust should be created. The Kurdish people are ready to do everything in the name of peace.”