Ayşegül Doğan, spokesperson of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), held a press conference at her party’s headquarters in Ankara on Thursday.
Evaluating current developments, she referred to the deadly armed attacks on schools in Urfa and Maraş, stating: “We have been warning about this for years. We say that no one’s life in Turkey is safe anymore. When we address an issue that does not stem from a single cause but also has structural roots, and when we want to eliminate its consequences, daily statements, established commissions, their research, and reports are not sufficient.”
Stating that “political actors must accept their political responsibility,” Doğan also addressed developments in the case of Gülistan Doku, a student at Munzur University who disappeared in Dersim on January 5, 2020. The case has been brought back to the agenda in recent days and 13 people were detained within the scope of the investigation into her fate. Among those detained is Mustafa Türkay Sonel, the son of Tuncay Sonel, who was the governor of Tunceli at the time.
“Regardless of whom or where it reaches, it must be clarified and no longer left in the dark. No matter how many years pass, the struggle for justice symbolized by the name Gülistan Doku is our struggle, and we will not abandon it. We will ensure that the perpetrators of this incident are properly revealed,” Doğan said.
Doğan also spoke out against the imprisonment of Sezin Uçar, Deputy Co-Chair of the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP), saying: “A lawyer and deputy co-chair of a political party who returned from abroad despite knowing about the investigation against her was jailed on suspicion of flight. We call for an end to these practices by those who get angry when we say ‘you have turned the law into a tool of politics’.”
Doğan emphasized that the issue of peace has reached a point where it can no longer be postponed, underlining that the future lies not in war but in peace, not in policies of denial but in recognition and equality, not in repression but in democracy.
Referring to the Peace and Democratic Society Process that started after Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan’s appeal on February 27, 2025, Doğan stated: “The (parliamentary) commission’s task is to define the legal framework that will manage the situation arising alongside the organization’s disarmament process. No step has yet been taken regarding this legal framework. There has not even been a timeline set for issues agreed upon by the commission through consensus. As also stated in the report, there is a consensus on making the necessary legal arrangements addressing the process of the organization’s dissolution in all its components and the surrender and laying down of arms. Why are we reminding this now? Because there is a consensus among political parties with parliamentary groups, as the report establishes. It states what needs to be done and actually guides certain debates. Still, discussions are being conducted as if these findings were not identified in the report or as if no consensus had been reached, which increases concerns about this process.”
Finally, addressing discussions about a party congress, Doğan said: “There is currently no discussion on the DEM Party’s agenda regarding a congress or restructuring. However, as we have stated before, we will undergo restructuring in the coming period, and when a timeline is formed, we will share it with you as soon as possible.”
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