Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK) co-spokesperson Ali Kenanoğlu said that, when assessed within the century-long history of the Republic, significant thresholds were crossed in 2025, stressing that 2026 will be a critical period in which the process must be placed on a legal foundation.
As the new year approaches, 2025 emerged as a year marked by major historical turning points both politically and socially. The Peace and Democratic Society Process, which generated widespread public resonance following the 27 February call that will long be remembered, continued through the commission established in parliament. During this period, meetings held with Abdullah Öcalan in Imralı were shared with the public, and the video message delivered from Imralı was followed by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) holding a weapons-burning ceremony in Sulaymaniyah on 11 July, drawing broad international attention.
These steps reflected the Kurdish people’s and Kurdish political actors’ determination to pursue a democratic process. However, the measures taken by the government remained insufficient. As legal reforms and expectations for equal citizenship were not realized in 2025, these demands are expected to remain firmly on the agenda in 2026.
Assessing both the historic steps taken and the government’s political approach, HDK Co-Spokesperson Ali Kenanoğlu said the process has now reached an irreversible point. He noted that the new year should be ushered in with new laws and concrete measures after a year marked by critical thresholds. Kenanoğlu recalled that throughout the history of the Republic, the Kurdish issue has been addressed through denial, assimilation, repression, and conflict, adding that the state has sustained these policies at times through legal arrangements and at other times through coercive means.
The government has no justification left
Ali Kenanoğlu said that when a single year is viewed in isolation, it may appear that no major steps were taken but stressed that developments in 2025 become highly significant when assessed from a century-long perspective. Pointing to the rapidly shifting political balances in Turkey and the Middle East, Kenanoğlu said the process must be evaluated within this broader reality. He said, “The fact that we are even able to make these statements today is itself an important development. One year ago, similar statements could not be made, and public spaces were under severe pressure.”
Kenanoğlu also said the process cannot advance solely through the initiative of the government, drawing attention to the stagnation that marked much of 2025. He noted that although the government occasionally voiced the need to take steps, no concrete measures were taken, particularly by its coalition partner, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), or by the state apparatus more broadly.
Throughout the process, Kenanoğlu said, issues such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party laying down arms and the dissolution of the organization were repeatedly placed on the agenda. He said that on these matters, the Kurdish Freedom Movement and Abdullah Öcalan took initiatives that opened the way forward. Kenanoğlu said, “At every stage where the process became blocked, Mr. Öcalan stepped in, and new moves were developed to push it forward. From this point on, the justifications the government can put forward have largely been exhausted.”
Legal steps can be taken within the first three months
Ali Kenanoğlu said that legal regulations have now become unavoidable in 2026 and continued: “Disarmament, the dissolution of the organization, and, accordingly, the necessary legal amendments, above all to the Anti-Terror Law and the Turkish Penal Code, must be made. These steps can be taken within the first three months of 2026, or at the latest within the first six months. The process is being postponed by citing developments in Syria. It is said that the SDF must comply with the 10 March Agreement, yet the party that has effectively violated the agreement is being ignored. The steps taken immediately after the agreement clearly contradict this accord.”
An irreversible stage has been reached
Kenanoğlu said that the main actor who has effectively advanced the process has been Abdullah Öcalan and added: “The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Kurdish political movement have taken the steps required of them. In contrast, there are still steps that the government and the state authorities must take. The commission established in parliament has completed its work and submitted the necessary proposals. This process is different from previous resolution attempts; it has now reached an irreversible stage. It is not a process that can be ended by simply saying, ‘we have abandoned it.’ Concrete steps have been taken, and the political responsibility of any reversal would be heavy.”
Society must be more involved in the process
Ali Kenanoğlu said there are concerns within society regarding the process, but stressed that expectations for peace remain strong. Kenanoğlu said: “Society needs to be more involved in this process. The socialization of peace is vital to the success of this process. Let me put it this way: In line with our objectives, we organized international conferences within our party, the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), and similar initiatives were also carried out by the DEM Party itself. What we saw as a shared reality in these conferences was this: When society demands and insists, neither organizations nor the state or the government can step back from this issue. In other words, the matter largely depends on social demand. Processes like this only come into being when society demands them and when public pressure emerges. Therefore, how strongly society embraces the process is decisive. This is precisely why the socialization of peace is so important.”
Societal insistence will determine the fate of this process
Kenanoğlu said that, as the HDK and the DEM Party, they have been carrying out activities in different regions, particularly listening to public concerns and expectations in the Black Sea and Aegean regions. He added: “When society insists, neither the state nor organizations can withdraw from this process. What will determine the fate of this process is the will of society. There is serious concern, anxiety, and a lack of trust towards the government within society. Despite this, expectations for the success of this process remain quite high. People now want to free themselves from these hardships, problems, and the state of conflict.”