One year has passed since Abdullah Öcalan issued the “Call for Peace and a Democratic Society” on 27 February 2025 regarding the resolution of the Kurdish question. On the first anniversary of the call, a new declaration described by Öcalan as the “second phase” was announced.
Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Diyarbakır (Amed) MP Serhat Eren spoke to ANF about Öcalan’s message and its impact on the process. Eren said: “Yes, we have now passed the anniversary of the 27 February 2025 call. As of 2026, he made a new call on 27 February. In fact, that call also included an interesting heading. One of these headings was the ‘negative phase.’ The definition of the negative phase does not only describe the period of conflict; it also refers to the deadlock of policies of denial, the security-centered paradigm, and the monist model of the Republic. Therefore, it reveals that Kurds must move beyond merely remaining in a phase of resistance and existence and instead enter a founding and constructive phase. It emphasizes that Kurds should be brought onto the ground of democratic politics. In other words, it presents an approach that prioritizes democratic politics and legal struggle instead of armed struggle. At the same time, it sets out a perspective that aims to remove the Kurdish question from the framework of security and carry it onto the ground of constitutional citizenship and democratic participation.”
Eren added that Öcalan’s call assigns important responsibilities not only to Kurdish politics but also to the state. He also said: “On the other hand, it is very clearly stated that the state itself must also undergo a process of change and transformation. In other words, the state must realize within itself a transformation based on democracy, freedom, constitutional citizenship, and the rule of law. Instead of the monist structure of the Republic, it is put forward that the status of Kurds within the Republic of Türkiye must be recognized and that their language and cultural rights must be accepted. It is also emphasized that all of this can be achieved through the perspective of a democratic republic, in other words through the democratization of the republic.”
Peace processes cannot advance through unilateral will
Eren said peace and resolution processes cannot advance through unilateral will and stressed that institutional guarantees must be established for the process to move forward. He said, “It must be clearly stated that peace and resolution processes do not advance, and cannot advance, through unilateral will. Peace cannot be established merely through declarations of goodwill. For peace to move forward, institutional guarantees must be in place. Where such guarantees do not exist, distrust inevitably emerges. Therefore, while the historic decisions and steps taken by the Kurdish people up to this point are clear, the fact that the state has so far failed to take any concrete step has created serious distrust. This distrust must be eliminated. To achieve this, institutional guarantees must be established that will ensure society develops confidence in this process.”
Democratic reforms must be carried out
Eren said that recognizing democratic politics as the only option depends on the democratic transformation of the state, stressing that comprehensive reforms are necessary in this context. He also said: “Accepting democratic politics as the only option is possible only if the state undergoes a process of change and transformation. This also makes democratic reforms inevitable. For this process to be sustainable, the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) must first be implemented. At the same time, the current status of the Imralı Prison, where Mr. Öcalan is held, must be abolished. In addition, the principle of peace must be recognized and peace laws must be prepared. Within the framework of peace laws, it is of great importance to introduce regulations that will ensure participation in social and political life.”
Participation in social and political life must be ensured
Serhat Eren also assessed the scope of peace laws, stating that such legislation should include provisions that enable participation in social and political life. Eren concluded his remarks as follows:
“When we speak of laws that ensure participation in social and political life, this is what we mean: a specific legal regulation must be introduced to enable guerrillas who declare that they have abandoned armed struggle and state that they prefer democratic politics to participate in social and political life. At the same time, legal regulations are needed to ensure the participation in social life of thousands of prisoners, especially seriously ill prisoners currently held in prisons. In addition, regulations must be introduced to enable thousands of politicians who in the past were forced to go abroad because of their political activities to participate in democratic political life and social life.
Legal arrangements must also be made to end the practice of government-appointed trustees and strengthen local democracy. The legal and de facto obstacles to freedom of expression and freedom of organization must be removed. Implementing legal and constitutional reforms concerning equal citizenship, constitutional citizenship, and language rights will ensure that this process becomes lasting and sustainable.”
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