Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları spoke at her party’s parliamentary group meeting. The meeting was also attended by activists from the Free Women’s Movement (TJA), who had marched from Diyarbakır (Amed) to Ankara. During the session, participants chanted the slogan “Bijî Serok Apo” (“Long live Leader Apo”).
Hatimoğulları said, “Dear women and Peace Mothers who set out from Diyarbakır on October 1 under the slogan ‘We Walk to Freedom with Hope’ and who today voiced your demands in front of Parliament and in the center of Ankara, welcome. You, the women who know and have lived through the pain of war, once again expressed with powerful messages here in Ankara why peace is so urgently needed. I salute your effort and your courage. You are here at the finale of a week-long march. Let Parliament, politics, and society as a whole hear the struggle of women for peace, freedom, and equality. Greetings to all who carried out this march, to all the women who welcomed you in every city by uniting their struggle with yours, and to all the women who have never once stepped back from the fight.”
Hatimoğulları also said, “Injustices in the judiciary, the trustee regime, attacks on opposition municipalities, pressures on our language, culture, art, and way of life, deepening poverty, femicides, youth unemployment, the endless waiting of earthquake-stricken cities, and the cries of nature and water still echo across the country. A Parliament that fails to see these wounds has forgotten the very reason for its existence. Turkey is filled with uncertainties, and unfortunately, everything is extremely fragile. The duty of politics is to untie, one by one, all the knots that bind the country and its people.”
Hatimoğulları said, “Economic livelihood, justice, peace, democracy and freedom. This year Parliament must fulfill its historical responsibility. The delivery and provision of these five vital needs, which are the expectations of our 86 million citizens, require Parliament to work day and night. We know that peace is the dignity of society and the greatest gift to be given in the Republic’s second century. Peace will throw wide open the doors to the construction of a democratic republic. Democracy is not merely a matter of governance; it is the very building of an equal and shared life together. The economy is not just dry numbers, it is the very life of the person whose bread is missing from the table, of the young person left unemployed, of the woman whose labor goes unseen. It is the life of the parent who cannot pay school expenses, of the citizen who cannot pay gas and electricity bills in harsh winters, of the pensioner who cannot make ends meet, and of the student who cannot find housing.”
Hatimoğulları added, “Over the past year, Abdullah Öcalan’s Call for Peace and a Democratic Society has been realized. Following that call, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) convened its congress and announced a decision of dissolution. Then, on July 11 in Sulaymaniyah (Silêmanî), a 30-member group of PKK members held a weapons-burning ceremony, delivering a strong message for the establishment of peace. Over the past year, the near-elimination of reciprocal fighting, the more frequent dialogue between parties, and the conscious recognition of the urgency of peace are, of course, important gains for us. The Peace Commission established within the Grand National Assembly of Turkey has carried out very valuable work. That is true. But society now expects concrete steps. We must not give those who want to further muddy still waters any opportunity, together we must prevent that.”
Hatimoğulları noted, “In the thousands of public meetings we have held with labor and professional organizations, political parties, civil society groups, democratic mass movements, the women’s movement, defenders of nature and human rights, Alevis, and people from all different communities and faiths, one essential message has become clear: everyone genuinely wants peace. Yet we are all aware that because no concrete steps have been taken, society has not yet developed sufficient trust in this process. In every meeting, people have expressed this to us with great clarity. As steps toward a solution are taken, doubts will certainly fade away, trust will grow, and society will embrace the process even more. One of the main factors undermining trust in this process is the ongoing judicial operations targeting the main opposition party and its municipalities. As a democratic responsibility and to further socialize peace, these operations must come to an immediate end. The opposition must take greater responsibility and initiative for peace. ”
Hatimoğulları continued, “The Peace Commission established in Parliament has held thirteen meetings and listened to countless people. Most of those heard said that the Kurdish question must be resolved unconditionally, without any ‘buts’ or ‘ifs.’ They also emphasized the need for legal steps to secure democratic rights and equal citizenship. The main question now is this: when will the government and the state take action for peace? This is the most critical and pressing question of the current process. We must remember that Abdullah Öcalan and the movement have already enabled a major threshold to be crossed through their steps. With the establishment of the Commission, yet another threshold has been passed. Now it is time to move beyond the political and legal threshold. For democratic integration, democratic laws must be made. The Commission must hear Mr. Öcalan without delay.”
Hatimoğulları said, “Mr. Öcalan has already stated, ‘If the commission comes, I will initiate the democratic negotiation process.’ The key to peace lies with the counterpart, and the main actor is the one who holds that key. As seen in peace processes around the world, a direct dialogue extending to Imrali could be the most decisive step to silence the weapons and establish a legal framework for peace. For this reason, we expect Speaker of Parliament Numan Kurtulmuş to take the initiative. This is not a matter of personal preference; it is a requirement of the seriousness of peace and of the institutional nature of the state’s reason. We expect the Commission, by meeting with Mr. Öcalan, to contribute to the crossing of yet another important threshold. The more determined the political institution is, the more the society will believe in and support the solution.”
She also said, “In two days, we will mark the 27th anniversary of the international conspiracy developed against Mr. Öcalan. The February 27 declaration became the strongest step to nullify the October 9 conspiracy. For 27 years, Mr. Öcalan has persistently defended peace and a political solution against those who seek to pit peoples against one another and he continues to do so today. His right to hope must be recognized. The right to hope is not an ordinary legal clause; it is one of the fundamental principles at the core of universal law. On September 17, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe announced its decision on the right to hope and expressed its expectations to both the Commission and Parliament. This is a very significant decision, and it must be responded to with seriousness. You cannot lock the door for life and throw away the key. Social peace processes can only be achieved through rethinking, restructuring, and embracing this perspective. The legal regulation of the right to hope must urgently be placed on the agenda.”
Hatimoğulları said, “The Kobanê Conspiracy Case was opened using the events of October 6–8 as a pretext. Many of our friends, including Figen Yüksekdağ and Selahattin Demirtaş, were tried in the Kobanê Conspiracy Case and sentenced to a combined total of hundreds of years. This trial has gone down in history as a judicial disgrace and has deeply wounded the conscience of the whole society. On July 8, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) issued its third decision and declared: ‘Selahattin Demirtaş should be released.’ This decision will be finalized on October 8. This ruling offers a chance for peace and democracy. Selahattin Demirtaş, Figen Yüksekdağ and all Kobanê detainees must be released immediately. Politics cannot be handcuffed. We expect the requirements of the ECtHR ruling to be implemented so that this process can be eased. Politics must never be shackled. We send our greetings and love to all prisoners in the penitentiary system, especially to the women. We pledge here, once again in front of everyone, that we will continue our struggle to the end until they are all free.”
Hatimoğulları emphasized: “The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria has become a living alternative and a source of hope against the authoritarianism, centralization, and patriarchy that plague the region. The model of women’s liberation, secularism, and a multi-ethnic, multicultural common life should not be seen merely as a model for Syria, but as one capable of transforming the grim fate of the entire region. It must be studied, supported, and implemented. As we speak of these issues, I am sure all of you have followed the recent events that began yesterday in Aleppo. Civilians in Aleppo’s Kurdish neighborhoods are now under attack. We have received reports that the neighborhoods of Ashrafieh (Eşrefiye) and Sheikh Maqsoud (Şexmeqsud) are besieged by groups affiliated with the provisional Damascus administration, and that assaults on the civilian population are continuing. Just moments ago, new information reached us indicating that, although the Damascus provisional administration has not yet lifted the blockade, a ceasefire is reportedly in place. These developments constitute a major provocation. The Damascus government forces must immediately halt these attacks and lift the blockade. They must not further disrupt the fragile balance in Syria. What is needed with the Kurds is not conflict but dialogue. Reconciliation will bring gain to Syria, it will end the clashes, the war, the blood, and the tears. All provocations and attacks must cease without delay.”
Hatimoğulları also said, “North and East Syria has never been a threat to Turkey and it should never be seen as one. On the contrary, we must view it as a land where peace and brotherhood can flourish. The people of Rojava call for mutual respect, dialogue, and local democracy. This is a democratic model that will strengthen the peoples of Turkey. Therefore, a policy that protects civilian life, prioritizes peace, and institutionalizes dialogue with North and East Syria will have positive outcomes for everyone, it will benefit all.”
Hatimoğulları concluded her remarks by saying: “For seven days, you have carried out your action ‘We Walk to Freedom with Hope,’ ending it yesterday with a statement in front of Sincan Prison and today at Güven Park in the heart of Ankara. Every step you took was for freedom, for peace, and for equality. It was for a world where women are not murdered, impoverished, or exploited, and where their language is not banned. It was for the removal of all obstacles standing before an honorable peace in this country. And it was for the implementation of the right to hope for Mr. Öcalan, the main actor in the Peace and Democratic Society Process, so that he can take part in this process under free and equal conditions.”