At the Newroz celebrations in Van, the co-chair of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), Tuncer Bakırhan, described this year’s Newroz festival as a political turning point and raised far-reaching demands for democratic transformation and a clarification of Abdullah Öcalan’s status. “Newroz 2026 is a different Newroz,” Bakırhan said before hundreds of thousands. “This Newroz marks the transition from uprising to political construction. It is a constitutive Newroz, the beginning of a new era.”
Criticism of the police
At the same time, the Kurdish politician sharply criticized the actions of the Turkish police in Van. He said they the police “apparently understood nothing of the new process” and were still attempting to prevent people from attending the celebrations through repression. “We are trying to build a life without violence and conflict, in which the Kurdish question is resolved democratically,” Bakırhan said, expressing hope that “the signals of peace felt in Ankara will also reach Wan.” At the beginning of the event, security forces had attempted to subject Bakırhan and others to searches.
Borders in the Middle East are in flames
Referring to developments in the Middle East, Bakırhan spoke of an escalating crisis: “Almost all capitals in the region are being bombed. The borders are in flames.” He said the root cause was the absence of democracy. States without democratic structures become targets of external intervention, he noted. Citing Iran as an example, Bakırhan stated: “We reject both imperialist interventions and the repressive mullah regime.” Instead, he said, they support the struggles of the people—especially women, youth, and ethnic groups. A solution, he argued, can only be achieved if “the rights of Kurds, Baloch, Azerbaijanis, and other communities are recognized.”
Demands to the state
At the center of his speech was the “process for peace and democratic society” initiated by Abdullah Öcalan. He stated that Öcalan’s call, made on February 27, 2025, was “a light in the darkness of the Middle East.” The goal, he said, is to develop democratic solutions and prevent external interventions. Bakırhan outlined concrete expectations: “What do the Kurds want? They want recognition of their identity, equal citizenship rights, education in their mother tongue, and local democracy.” This also includes ending the policy of appointing state trustees in Kurdish municipalities, he noted.
However, he said, the central demand remains the clarification of Abdullah Öcalan’s status. “The Kurds do not want a de facto arrangement, but an official regulation of his status,” Bakırhan said. The ongoing process, he added, concerns not only the Kurdish population but society as a whole. “Democracy is not only for Kurds, but for all 86 million people in Turkey,” he stated and added that the process is not a divisive but a unifying project.
Call for Kurdish unity
In conclusion, Bakırhan called for Kurdish unity: “In light of developments in the region, political forces must overcome their differences and develop a shared democratic perspective. At this stage, when the future of peoples is being decided, no one should stand aside from unity.”
The celebrations continued afterward with a cultural program.