The Social Initiative for Peace issued a statement to be included in the report prepared by the Parliament’s National Solidarity, Fraternity and Democracy Commission.
The statement stressed that the conditions for living together in peace in Turkey must be strengthened, emphasizing that the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) rulings on the “right to hope” concerning Abdullah Öcalan and other aggravated life-sentence prisoners must be implemented.
The initiative recalled that the Commission has reached a critical phase in its process of hearing state officials and civil society representatives, and warned that the rising pattern of unlawful practices has created deep mistrust within society, weakening public support for lasting peace.
The declaration noted that shortcomings in democratization, justice and the rule of law directly undermine efforts toward peace, adding that these concerns make the Commission’s forthcoming report even more significant. The initiative reiterated its message that “there is no path forward other than democracy and peace.”
The Social Initiative for Peace (Barış İçin Toplumsal Girişim) also listed the points it believes must be included in the Commission’s report:
* “Fully aware that the current process carries an invaluable significance for realizing, in its fullest sense, the possibility of living together in peace in Turkey, we would like to present the issues that we believe should be included in the Commission Report, which is said to be prepared for submission to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.
* First of all, we would like to underline that the report must emphasize the immediate enforcement, under the provisions of the current Constitution and the Criminal Procedure Code, of all final court rulings that have not yet been implemented, particularly the judgments of the ECtHR and the Constitutional Court, which have ruled that Türkiye has misused the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) for political purposes. This is an indispensable requirement arising from the combined meaning of the concepts of ‘national solidarity, fraternity and democracy’ referenced in the report.
* The report must also underline the need to end the trustee practice, introduced as an extraordinary and ‘temporary’ emergency measure but turned into a permanent and ordinary form of governance. It should call on the executive, administrative bodies and judicial authorities to immediately implement the relevant decisions ending this practice. This is of vital importance not only for the requirements of a democratic state governed by the rule of law but also for strengthening public support for the ongoing process.
* The report must furthermore include a demand to halt the recent wave of operations targeting predominantly the Republican People’s Party (CHP)-run local administrations, to ensure that the related judicial processes proceed in line with the universal principles and rules of law emphasized in ECtHR and Constitutional Court jurisprudence, and to reinstate the elected local officials who have been removed from office. The politicized judicial practices that destroy the sense of justice must come to an end.
* The possibility of transferring power through elections is the minimum, indispensable condition of democracy. In this regard, the fact that the CHP, the party with the widest voter base and therefore the strongest potential to bring about a change in government, is being openly obstructed through the judicial process targeting the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality constitutes an attempt to bring about the end of democracy in Turkey. The report must strongly underline that such an attempt is unacceptable and that judicial proceedings must return to standards befitting a democratic state governed by the rule of law.
* The Commission, with respect to matters that require legislative regulation within this process, should first formulate a ‘transitional justice’ arrangement concerning members of the organization that has dissolved itself, ensuring possibilities for democratic participation in social and political life. In this context, the Commission should also engage with the founder of the dissolved organization. We believe that such engagement would foster the sense of national solidarity, fraternity and democracy, strengthen social empathy, and thereby reinforce the social legitimacy needed for the process.
* Regardless of whether they are former members of the dissolved organization, seriously ill prisoners must be released without delay. Similarly, a general political amnesty that would benefit all political prisoners and convicts, whether affiliated with the organization or not, must be enacted without discrimination.
* In addition, the report must call for the implementation of the ECtHR judgments regarding the ‘right to hope’ for individuals sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment, including Abdullah Öcalan. It must not be forgotten that what is publicly referred to as the ‘right to hope’ stems from an ECtHR decision issued in response to applications filed by four individuals, including Öcalan, and therefore carries binding force. Furthermore, the fact that the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe issued a warning to Turkey at its 15–17 September 2025 meeting must be recalled. The ‘right to hope’ is of profound value for strengthening the social legitimacy needed for this process.
* With regard to the legal reforms that must be undertaken, priority should be given to abolishing the provisions of the Anti-Terror Law that violate fundamental rights and freedoms, particularly its definition of terrorism, which has been the source of severe human-rights violations. Alongside revising the legislation governing the right to assembly and demonstration, the regulations that enable censorship and prohibitive practices in the fields of internet and media must also be rewritten in line with the requirements of a democratic state governed by the rule of law. Moreover, the anti-democratic provisions that became part of the legal framework when emergency-decree regulations were later codified must be purged from the legislation.
*Ultimately, whether we call it a ‘Turkey free of terrorism’ or a ‘peaceful and democratic society’, it is clear that there is no alternative other than establishing, in practice, a state governed by the rule of law that is compatible with human rights, fundamental freedoms, and Turkey’s obligations under international human-rights law.
* In today’s reality, where widespread and deepening poverty has become a form of violence, one of the most significant outcomes of peace will be the fair redistribution of resources and the redirection of the enormous budget allocated to war and military operations toward public needs. Standing at this critical moment between the catastrophe into which we are rapidly descending and the hope for a dignified life, we express, most firmly, that our views must be taken into account, fully aware that the problems of the country and the region can only be resolved through peace and democracy. After all the suffering and destruction endured, this country deserves an honourable peace and democracy.”