The Brotherhood, Solidarity, and Democracy Commission established in parliament is expected to convene again to prepare its report. Claims that consensus is approaching within the commission on the “right to hope” have increased the significance of this meeting. Whether the renewed talk of the right to hope represents another delaying tactic or signals a new phase that will translate into practice remains to be seen.
The right to hope is directly linked to the physical freedom of the Kurdish people’s leader. Turkey is a member of the Council of Europe and a candidate country for the European Union. For this reason, the right to hope is a norm that should be implemented in Turkey. Had the right to hope been applied in line with the standards set out by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the doors of Imrali should already have been opened. Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan has been held for 27 years in a single-person closed cell in Imrali. Öcalan, who should have regained his physical freedom two years ago, remains imprisoned. This reflects another practice of keeping people behind bars even after the completion of their sentences, which in some cases are meant to end after 30 years. At present, hundreds of people whose sentences have formally ended are still being kept in prison.
A process led by chief negotiator Abdullah Öcalan is underway between the Turkish state and the Kurdish Freedom Movement. However, beyond the maintenance of a ceasefire and visits by a delegation from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) to Imrali, this process has yet to produce any significant developments. The continuation of the ceasefire is, of course, important. Yet without serious steps being taken, it is not possible to sustain a state of non-conflict indefinitely.
If there is a bilateral process, it is essential that the chief negotiator on the Kurdish side be able to work freely. Without the doors of Imrali being opened, it cannot be said that one side can conduct a genuine process. From this perspective, Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan must be able to meet with representatives of political parties, civil society organizations, Kurdish political and social organizations, as well as members of the Freedom Movement, which is also a key party to the process. Otherwise, he cannot fulfill the role of chief negotiator. If a process that has been ongoing for more than a year is being discussed, the opening of Imrali’s doors is indispensable. Without this, it is no longer possible to speak of a process. One does not need to be a senior politician to state this plainly. Kurds and democratic forces are already expressing this openly. It appears that the parliamentary commission has also recognized that the process will come to an end if the right to hope is not activated, which is why it has brought the issue onto its agenda.
The Kurdish people demand the release of their chief negotiator. They do not accept that Öcalan, who negotiates on their behalf, is being held in Imrali, and they have made this clear. At present, the most pressing issue on the Kurdish people’s agenda is the release of Abdullah Öcalan. This is a fundamental political issue for Kurds, because the approach taken toward Imrali reflects the approach taken toward Kurds as a whole. The situation in Imrali will determine what the Kurdish people in Turkey face in the coming period. Either peace will be consolidated and steps will be taken toward democratization and a solution to the Kurdish question, or a period of even harsher repression will unfold across Turkey, first and foremost against Kurds. The decision on whether to release the Kurdish people’s leader will have such far-reaching consequences. He added that the trajectory of developments in Rojava will also be shaped by this approach. Abdullah Öcalan played a decisive role in the recent agreement in Rojava, and whether this agreement is implemented correctly is also linked to the approach taken toward Imrali. Turkey is directly involved in developments in Syria and Rojava. Turkey does not view the Kurds in Rojava as brothers and friends, but through a hostile lens. It is even said that Ankara’s approach is more regressive than that of the government in Damascus on this issue.
It is becoming increasingly clear that the direction the process will take in Turkey, Syria, and the Middle East depends on the Turkish state’s approach to Imrali. Regardless of the demagoguery employed, it has become evident that the future of the Kurds is also tied to the position of the Kurdish people’s leader in Imrali. For this reason, the Kurdish people must escalate their struggle to secure the opening of Imrali’s doors as part of the effort to make their future free. Beyond the freedom of the Kurdish people’s leader, neither the current process can move forward, nor can stability be achieved in Turkey and the Middle East. The Kurdish people have always voiced this reality. At this stage, it is no longer sufficient merely to state the truth; the struggle must be intensified to secure the freedom of the chief negotiator, that is, the people’s leader. It must be made clear that the state of captivity in Imrali will not be accepted. If this responsibility is not fulfilled today, the Kurdish people and democratic forces will pay a much heavier price in the future. The struggle waged today will prevent the payment of even greater costs tomorrow.
If the Kurdish people rise with an awareness of these realities, the report of the parliamentary commission will also take a positive shape, and the Kurdish people’s leader will regain his physical freedom so that the process can move forward. This outcome depends on the struggle of the Kurdish people and democratic forces.
Source: Yeni Yaşam Newspaper
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