The two-day conference organized by the People’s Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) at the Cem Karaca Cultural Center in Bakırköy, Istanbul, continues.
The opening speeches and messages at the International Conference on Peace and Democratic Society, was followed by the first session “Perspectives for Social Peace,” moderated by Cengiz Çandar, DEM Party MP for Amed (tr: Diyarbakır).
Özgür Faik Erol, lawyer and member of the Imrali Delegation, made a presentation titled “The Role of Abdullah Öcalan and the Right to Hope in the Resolution of the Kurdish Question and Building Social Peace.”
Other presentations in the first session included;
“On Embedding Peace within Society” by Emeritus Prof. Louis Lemkow from the Autonomous University of Barcelona;
“Living Together but How?” by politician Prof. Cihangir Islam;
“Regional and Global Implications of a Social Peace and Durable Solution in Turkey” by Assoc. Prof. Arzu Yılmaz from the University of Kurdistan Hewler.
‘Those who want equality will fight harder’
Emeritus Prof. Louis Lemkow from the Autonomous University of Barcelona talked about the actors involved in embedding peace within society, describing the process as “challenging” due to the different ideas within society: “We are under the hegemony of rent and exploitation. These are not things that make peace possible. But those who want equality will fight harder. This is not an inappropriate thing. I would also like to listen to the next speakers because we will hear about their experiences. Now, we have concerns about peace on our minds. I will go back 2,500 years. We will look at what peace came from. I want to talk about the play Lysistrata. There was a war between Sparta and Athens. This play is from that period. The context in which this play is performed discusses where women were held. There were reactionary men. But we know that there can be no talk of peace in a place where women are absent. The Guernica painting is here before you. Guernica was bombed. The civilian population was targeted there, which constitutes a clear violation of rights. Thousands of people were killed. This is a work of art against the horror of war. There is also Picasso’s La Ronde painting here, where you see people holding hands. It is a symbol of peace.”
‘Give peace a chance’
Lemkow stated that memory is not only something done in peace studies, saying: “It is also something we do in creative arts. You see Han Kang’s book titled ‘We Do Not Part’. We need to see the Holocaust memory in its most horrific form. Today, the Holocaust is being used as a justification for what is being done in Gaza. Most of my relatives were killed. Therefore, memory is one of the key elements on the path to peace. In response to what Israel did in Gaza, the slogan is ‘no genocide can be committed against anyone anywhere’. I was a protester during the Vietnam War. The song “All we ask is give peace a voice” was very important. There are peace and solidarity movements. It is very important to think about the future. Creativity and art, in all their diversity, are vital. Give peace a chance.”
During his speech, Lemkow showed the participants photographs of Nelson Mandela and Abdullah Öcalan.
‘Coexistence is a way of life in accord with human nature’
Speaking after, Cihangir Islam stated the following: “When I look at Turkey and the region in terms of the Kurdish question, Kobanê is to me what Sarajevo is. There is no difference for me in terms of kinship. So, in the official education system’s concept of “external Turks,” what about “external Kurds” and “external Arabs”? I am a Bosnian. We need a holistic perspective. We have reached the 102nd year of the Republic. I was expecting a book in the 100th year. We built a nation-state as a necessity under the conditions of that day. So, what is the result of this? In this period of the impending Third World War, I believe that the historical Kurdish-Turkish alliance must build a peaceful regime. The fundamental values of our society are oriented towards coexistence, not conflict. That’s how I see it. But when I look at history, I see that Western democracy has developed to a good point. But when I look at my own history, I can trace it back to the Medina Covenant, which is an important value for coexistence. That is why coexistence is not a new situation, but a way of life in accord with human nature. I believe that the nation-state requires serious consideration on our part. We must think about a regime that formulates coexistence not only for Kurds and Turks, but for the entire region, and we must do so without relying on Western democracy. Western democracy was created solely to develop Europe. But I hope that our project will be a solution for all of humanity.”
‘Öcalan is the founder of political and legal solutions’
Lawyer Özgür Faik Erol emphasized the importance of the “right to hope,” noting that people had gone through very difficult times and that pressures had increased along with the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan in Imrali Island Prison: “While the struggle against isolation was being waged, other debates were also taking place. There were discussions about the Kurdish question, whether it was necessary to say yes to peace and go to Imrali. While the isolation continued, we stated that the doors to dialogue on the Kurdish question were closed. Hasn’t the past 10 years confirmed this? Isolation had to be lifted in order to discuss the issue politically and legally. Mr. Öcalan is the leader of Kurdish democratization. He is also the founder of political and legal solutions instead of violence. Therefore, there is a dynamic between him and the Kurds throughout the Middle East. This connection is very important. Processes were developed with Özal, Erbakan, and Erdoğan. If it had been handled on the right basis, there would have been no conflicts for 30 years. He has also developed the current period based on unilateralism and his own free will. A year ago, we were not in the same situation we are in today. Power was changing hands in Syria and there was a crisis. There were also very limited rights in the country. After three meetings, he prepared his call, to which the organization responded by holding its congress, laying down arms, and withdrawing. He advanced the process to a state of abstaining from violence, both physically and mentally, and opposed to any kind of undemocratic intervention. However, there is also the Kurdish dimension to the issue.”
‘In this country, the Kurds were outlawed’
Erol stated that Kurds were “excluded from the norm” after 1925 and continued: “Mr. Öcalan today wants the Kurds to be included in the law. After 1925, when you said Kurd, you were immediately met with rebellion. In the time that followed, the Kurds were constantly seen as a threat. There is a perception that if Kurds are granted legal rights, everyone will share their bread and water with them, but this is not the case. An illegal zone was declared over the Kurds. If a trustee was appointed there, the second trustee was appointed here. The issue has nothing to do with the Kurds. In this country, the Kurds were outlawed, and this was used to justify further outlawing. Most recently, a parliamentary commission was established, but a mother was not allowed to speak Kurdish there. The Speaker of Parliament, who refused to allow her to speak, spoke Kurdish in Diyarbakır. So why was she not allowed to speak? Because it is illegal, because Kurds are illegal! Mr. Öcalan also cited this case. If you do not legally recognize the Kurds, we cannot discuss their other rights. We must acknowledge this reality. Because the Kurds are kept in a state of illegality, a local administrator can repeatedly ban their right to meetings and demonstrations. He has that power. Therefore, we must remove ourselves from this dialectic.”
‘The entire Kurdish people must be included in the law’
Erol added: “The ‘right to hope’ is connected to this. Politically and legally, he is here, but they don’t want him to appear personally. They want us to benefit from Mr. Öcalan’s politics and ideas, but they don’t want him to be here. But whatever is most untouchable must be included in the law, as well as the entire Kurdish people. We have many opportunities. The arrangements to be made during the transition process can solve many problems without the need for the right to hope. When negotiations between Mandela and South Africa began, the government sent the head of intelligence to prison. The head of intelligence told the warden, “Our negotiations must be on equal terms.” The warden then brought Mandela to his home. If the determination to utilize this will continues, the first step is to ensure that the current circumstances provide free working conditions. He must meet with the press, intellectuals, and his relatives. The visibility he has gained will provide the will to resolve the Kurdish question. We have always anticipated his freedom.”
‘Öcalan’s model offers an important solution for peaceful coexistence’
In her speech, Assoc. Prof. Arzu Yılmaz from the University of Kurdistan Hewler pointed out that as global war dynamics are escalating dangerously, the nation-state system is “struggling to survive within the current capitalist and regional transformation.”
Yılmaz emphasized that the democratic integration model proposed by Abdullah Öcalan offers an important solution for peaceful coexistence within the new regional economic structure.
She stated that the Kurdish-Turkish peace initiative, unlike other conflicts in the region, is both voluntary and mutually beneficial:
“While war between Iran and Israel in the Middle East is inevitable, what does this process gain for the parties involved? If voluntarism is one of the most important reasons for the feasibility of Turkish-Kurdish peace, the other reason is that it is a win-win situation. In the event of a conflict in the region, Turkey can be kept out of the war, while this process will also prevent the Kurds from being caught in the middle.”
Arzu Yılmaz emphasized that regional economic integration is inevitable, stating that nation states can only maintain their existence within this new framework.
‘We need many more women in peacebuilding processes’
Following Yılmaz’s speech, a video message from Nobel Prize-winning human rights defender Oleksandra Viacheslavovna Matviichuk was broadcast. Matviichuk drew attention to human rights violations in the Ukraine–Russia war and emphasized that women play a vital role in peace processes: “We witnessed women fighting for human dignity. We need many more women in peacebuilding processes. For months, we heard about Russia’s geographical interests, but we heard nothing about its people. There are 27,000 children separated from their families. What will happen to them? Thousands of people are being tortured in Russian prisons. Millions of people live in gray areas. The Russian invasion is not just the invasion of a state, but also forced displacement, harassment, rape, and the separation of your own children from you. That is why we must add the human dimension to the process. To do this, we must first include women in the process. Big men always look out for their own interests. Peace means living without the fear of war, but this can only be achieved through women.”