Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Spokesperson Ayşegül Doğan evaluated the current developments on the agenda during a press conference held at the party’s headquarters.
A historic period
Ayşegül Doğan stated that Turkey is going through a historic period for the democratic and peaceful resolution of the Kurdish question. Doğan said: “We said, ‘Let us achieve success by solving this together.’ The steps taken during this process are very important steps for the democratization of Turkey and, of course, for achieving a lasting peace. These are highly valuable gains. We regarded every stage as a very important opportunity for the democratic solution of the Kurdish question, the establishment of social peace, and democratic rights. The issue we are talking about is delicate and fragile. We are talking about human life. When we say it is a deep and rooted issue, this is exactly what we mean. We are talking about a conflict that has continued for years. We are talking about being able to breathe together. From the very beginning, we tried to be unifying. From the very beginning, we tried to warn those who seek division. We said, ‘Do not do this. Do not pursue political ambition, personal gain, profit, or seat calculations on such a delicate and fragile issue.’”
Attacks are not a coincidence
Ayşegül Doğan also emphasized the importance of the language used during this process and continued: “We have been extremely sensitive about using a language that embraces society, unites people, and does not marginalize anyone. We made calls on this matter. We stated how the language of this period should be. We underlined, in particular, that the language of this period cannot be confined within a security-oriented framework. The language and method Turkey needs in this period must include dialogue, solution, peace and democracy. For days there have been those who have tried to lynch the DEM Party. For days there have been those who are disturbed by the fact that the DEM Party is a founding subject, a founding political actor in this process. Therefore, there have been attacks against us. Are these a coincidence? No one can convince us that this is a coincidence. We know that this is not a coincidence. We know that this is the work of an organised and calculated mindset.”
We must speak out louder against racism
Doğan said, “Everyone knows that we have enough experience not to bow to these pressures. However, we want to once again call on the public in Turkey, on political parties, and on human rights defenders to take responsibility. This is not solely the responsibility of the DEM Party. We are the political movement that has struggled at the forefront for Turkey’s democracy. But we must grow here and our voice must be stronger. We must speak out more powerfully against racism and hatred. We must fight more strongly. There are those who try to exploit the situation through opposition to the process. Criticizing the process is one thing and we also criticize the process. We also have criticisms. We voice our criticisms at every stage. We say: ‘The design could have been different, the commission could have avoided spending so much time on hearings, it could have already met with Mr. Öcalan by now, different segments of society could have been heard, the process could have been socialized, more courageous steps could have been taken,’ and we still demand these things. These are our criticisms as well, our shared concerns. However, we also know that there are those who display categorical opposition simply because we criticize the process. And we know the roots that feed this categorical opposition. We also know the intention of those who act as though we are unaware, who pretend that because the DEM Party is part of a process, it does not raise its voice enough or struggle sufficiently against anti-democratic practices in Turkey. We will fight racism together. We will fight hate crimes together.”
The commission must find a formula for Imralı
Ayşegül Doğan continued: “The commission must find a way, a formula, for Abdullah Öcalan’s views to be conveyed to the commission because it is responsible for this as well. The commission says it wants to end the conflict. Mr. Öcalan is not only a founding leader, he is also the founding force of peace and a democratic solution. If they want to know why he is a founding force, they should go and ask him directly, listen to him directly. They should not waste Turkey’s time. No one should waste Turkey’s time. True patriotism, true love for this country, true devotion to this land is this, not racism, not the language of hatred.”
Censorship allegation is a distortion
Doğan added, “We cannot speak on behalf of Öcalan. We can only convey his views to the public to the extent that we are informed. Our delegation visits Imralı and holds meetings. They provide us with certain briefings within the framework of those meetings. We already share these briefings with the public. Now I ask: is it possible for someone who, despite 27 years of isolation, proposes a democratic solution, speaks of democratic integration, presents this to Turkey as a program, reminds us how valuable this is for the peoples of the Middle East, and represents the founding force of peace, would such a person ever demand censorship or embargo? I ask you, would that be possible? It would not. This is a distortion.”