After twelve years, the Peace Mothers Assembly held its 3rd conference under the slogan “Mothers are the pioneers of a democratic society and lasting peace” at the ÇandAmed Congress and Culture Center, which concluded on its second day. Alongside the Peace Mothers, participants included the Free Women’s Movement (TJA), the provincial and district branches and co-mayors of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), DEM Party deputies, and members of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP).
During the second day, the hall where the conference took place was decorated with posters of Abdullah Öcalan, photos of Peace Mothers who lost their lives, murdered women, and TJA flags. The event ended with a declaration presented after discussions.
The statement was read by Songül Tamriş on behalf of the Peace Mothers.
Peace and conscience
Songül Tamriş underlined that the conference, held in Amed after twelve years, expressed the will to restart the historical construction of social peace. She dedicated the event to those who were murdered, disappeared, and to Öcalan, and added: “In the dirty war being waged in the Middle East, it is not only the interests of states that are at stake — there is also an attempt to erase the peoples’ memory, identity, and right to life. The woman’s body, language, labor, and very existence are the first targets of this war. Therefore, the woman’s resistance is not only against the war itself but against the male-dominated system and the nation-state violence that create it. Our struggle is, in this sense, the first voice, conscience, and social memory of peace.”
Denial, destruction and assimilation
Tamriş noted that for a hundred years, the Kurdish people have been systematically excluded from solutions through policies of denial, destruction, and assimilation. She said: “Mr. Öcalan, who persistently seeks a counterpart for dialogue and strives to turn every opportunity into a step toward peace and negotiation, made his Call for Peace and Democratic Society on February 27, a proposal for a multi-layered social reorganization based on the peoples’ right to self-governance. The first step toward realizing this call must be to allow Mr. Abdullah Öcalan to continue the process he initiated under free conditions. This is not merely a legal necessity but the true measure of the sincerity of any claim to political peace. Our approach as Peace Mothers is as white, open, and clear as the scarves on our heads. As Peace Mothers, we are aware that the socialization of peace and the establishment of an honorable and lasting peace are only possible through strong, democratic, community-based organization. With this awareness, we are determined to continue our leading role in the widespread organization of communes everywhere.”
Tamriş emphasized that reestablishing direct contact between Öcalan and the peoples is the first condition for socializing peace. She added that ensuring physical meetings and negotiation conditions would strengthen faith in peace. She added: “With the Call for Peace and Democratic Society, and the positive support it received both in Kurdistan and around the world, along with the concrete steps quickly taken by the PKK, it has become clear that Mr. Öcalan is the chief negotiator and the essential interlocutor. It is unacceptable for the main representative of peace to remain imprisoned. We see our own freedom in his freedom. The right to hope is not a privilege. It is a right mandated by law and must be implemented immediately. All political prisoners must be released without delay, inhumane practices against sick prisoners must end, and the arbitrary measures of prison administration, observation boards, and the Forensic Medicine Institute must be abolished.”
Call to establish a language of peace
Tamriş noted that the PKK had clearly demonstrated its stance during the peace process by laying down its arms. She said: “As long as the voice of the guerrilla does not find an echo at the peace table, a real solution will remain impossible. Therefore, any legal and constitutional reforms to be made in this regard are not only a measure of the sincerity of peace but also a necessity for the state to confront its own history. Today, the fact that one side of the peace process continues to repeat the term ‘terrorism’ whenever possible is not merely a matter of rhetoric, it criminalizes an entire people and their history. The repeated use of this term is a problem of mentality, and this mentality will stand as an obstacle to peace. The discourse of terrorism is a reflex of denial by the state. Those accused of terrorism are our daughters, sons, brothers, and families. The language of peace must be built with care.”
Highlighting that they are living through a historic and crucial period, Tamriş continued: “At this historic turning point, talks with Mr. Abdullah Öcalan, the architect of peace who is now within our reach, are of vital importance. Our conference emphasizes that the primary duty of the parliamentary commission established for peace and brotherhood should be to meet with Mr. Öcalan. Our expectation is to be able to visit Mr. Abdullah Öcalan in Imrali to discuss peace and contribute to the building of a democratic society. We salute, through Mr. Abdullah Öcalan, who nurtures hope and sets out the roadmap for peace for all peoples, all political prisoners, especially those on Imrali. We believe that the will for peace lies in the people and in women. If this path is pursued, all humanity will be the winner.”