Meetings to support the DEM Party’s ‘We want peace because…’ campaign were organized in Diyarbakır (Amed), Erzurum (Erzîrom), and many other provinces and districts of North Kurdistan (Bakur).
On Friday, a meeting was held at the DEM Party Erzurum Provincial Organization. The meeting was attended by representatives of political parties, women’s organizations, municipal co-mayors, and many citizens.
People’s Democratic Congress (HDK) co-spokesperson Meral Danış Beştaş emphasized during her address that the Kurdish people’s struggle has now entered a new stage.
Meral Danış Beştaş said: “Today, there is no place in the world where the Kurdish people’s struggle for existence is not recognized or heard. The Kurdish people’s struggle for equality and freedom has spread everywhere. Abdullah Öcalan has put before us a roadmap where politics, not arms, is now the path forward. The Kurds have won their struggle for existence. No one can deny the existence of the Kurdish people. If there is a table for dialogue today, it is thanks to the heavy price paid and the struggle waged. The Kurdish people have moved from a struggle for existence to the stage of gaining their rights.”
Danış Beştaş underlined the need to strengthen democratic politics and said: “No one will present our rights to us on a silver platter. For this reason, we must expand our struggle. We need to overcome the concerns created by the traumas of the past processes imposed by the state. The people must embrace peace more strongly. On this matter, we must have confidence in ourselves and in Mr. Öcalan.”
The meeting continued with a question-and-answer session. Citizens stated that the state’s failure to take concrete steps had undermined their trust, emphasizing that they now expect legal and practical measures in the peace process.
Diyarbakır
In the Bismil district of Diyarbakır, stands were set up at four different locations. At the event, attended by municipal co-mayors and district administrators, the march held on Istasyon Street was greeted with applause by shopkeepers and citizens. Along the route, people chanted “Bijî aşitî” (“Long live peace”). District co-chair Cemil Tekinöz stated that they aimed to collect 80,000 signatures in Bismil and called on everyone to sign “for a lasting and honorable peace.”
Silvan
In Silvan (Farqîn), stands were set up at Rindexan Square and Gazi Street, while in Dicle (Pîran), stands were established at Çeşme Square. Silvan Co-Mayor Kadri Esen urged citizens to support the process to ensure it results in peace. It was announced that in Dicle, stands would be opened at different locations every day until 1 October.
Siirt
A stand was opened on Güres Street in Siirt (Sêrt), where DEM Party deputy Sebahat Erdoğan Sarıtaş was also present. She emphasized that Abdullah Öcalan’s call on February 27 represented an important opportunity for Turkey and the Middle East and invited everyone to support the campaign.
Bingöl
In Bingöl (Çewlîg), the campaign that has been ongoing since September 18 continues in front of the party’s provincial office. In Dersim, a stand at Seyit Rıza Square is kept open for signatures every day between 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Elazığ
In Elazığ (Xarpêt), the stand set up at Hozat Garage will operate throughout September on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays between 12:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
The DEM Party announced that the campaign will continue across the region until the end of September.