MP: there are trends hostile to Kurds, democratization of Turkey

The “Peace and Democratic Society” process, launched following a call by leader Abdullah Ocalan, has entered a new phase. At this stage, discussions focus on amending or enacting laws. In this context, the National Solidarity, Brotherhood, and Democracy Committee formed in the Turkish parliament met with Leader Ocalan on November 24, after listening to 134 parties and public figures.

Following that, political parties with members on the committee began submitting their reports, from which a joint report will be prepared and presented to parliament.

Regarding the key question at this stage, what will happen next, Jalal Farat, MP from the DEM Party and member of the parliamentary committee for resolving the Kurdish issue, spoke to ANHA agency in a detailed interview.

*Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş stated that the listening phase has ended. Will the committee have any tasks after preparing the report, or what will it do?

Yes, the listening phase has ended, and we are now in the process of preparing and submitting party reports. The committee has a deadline until December 31, but after receiving the reports from political parties, the final report will be written. The committee’s work may conclude in March or April of next year after the final report is submitted. However, if necessary, there is no objection to reconvening. I believe the committee will continue its work until mid-2026.

If a partnership is not formed, the committee’s work will be wasted.

*The parties represented on the committee are submitting reports, and according to media reports, there are differing views and perspectives. Could this lead to problems in preparing a joint report?

Our report is a legal and political one. We tried to explain the Kurdish issue, which constitutes the foundation of the peace and democratic society process. Since we believe that correctly defining the issue contributes to finding a solution, we sought to define the Kurdish issue in the report as an issue of denial, inequality, and a legal matter, rather than a security issue. When the republic was founded, Kurds were left outside the scope of the law. However, for example, the Nationalist Movement Party’s report says, “When the republic was founded, Kurds were not left outside the law,” which we believe is incorrect. When Kurds are brought within the framework of the law, this will be a historic step toward a democratic republic.

There are two main approaches to dealing with this process: the first is an approach of democracy without Kurds, and the second is an anti-democratic approach that includes Kurds. Ultimately, we adopt a third approach that differs from both and sees a dialectical link between a democratic solution to the Kurdish issue and the struggle to democratize Turkey. We have tried to clarify this in our report.

We support the preparation of a joint report. Of course, political views on how to approach this process may differ, and these views can be expressed in the reports. However, if we want a solution to the Kurdish issue, there must be partnership among the parties on the committee. In other words, the century-long trajectory of the issue and the fifty-year conflict can be examined separately, but without cooperation on a solution, the committee’s efforts will be in vain.

*You have prepared your report within the DEM Party. What proposals does it include, and what are you doing in this regard?

In our report, we sought to shed light on the historical trajectory of the Kurdish issue, the paths of war, the obstruction of peace efforts, the peace initiatives undertaken over the past year, and assessments of the sensitivities of various segments of society that emerged during the listening phase. The main goal is to permanently end conflicts. Therefore, we included in our report the historical course of the war and its social, political, and economic costs. When evaluated within this threefold framework, war and resolution emerge as the two main perspectives for a lasting peace process.

We are ready to take all necessary steps and make every possible effort, including diplomatic initiatives and persuasion methods, to establish partnerships with other parties.

The core of the Kurdish issue lies in equality in citizenship, and language and cultural rights.

*Member of the Imrali delegation, Pervin Buldan, stated during her visits to political parties that the process has entered its second phase and pointed to legal amendments. What are these legal amendments, and will the committee engage in this work? How will things proceed?

The essence of the Kurdish issue lies in equality in citizenship, mother-tongue rights, and cultural rights. In the next phase, we can say that the Kurdish people’s right to their mother tongue, to education in that language, and to cultural rights will be recognized on a legal and constitutional basis.

The main issue we aim to address in the final report concerns legal reforms. First, the system of trusteeship or the appointment of trustees must be ended, and those who were dismissed from their positions should be reinstated. We will make every effort to implement a law for integration and disarmament, amend penal provisions in the Turkish Anti-Terror Law (TMK), the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), and the Criminal Procedure Code (CMK), release ill prisoners and those whose parole has been suspended, implement the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights and the Constitutional Court, release the prisoners in the Kobani case, grant the right to hope, and more.

It is not correct to link the peace process to developments in Syria.

*Considering recent statements by the government and some state institutions, what outcomes are expected in the new phase of the process?

The authorities or some of their spokespeople may frame the process narrowly around disarmament. It is also observed that they are trying to place the crisis in Syria above the process. We hope that the March 10 agreement in Syria will be implemented within a framework of decentralization. We do not believe it is correct to link the solution and peace process to developments in Syria. There is no threat from the Rojava administration to Turkey; on the contrary, we believe it should be seen as an opportunity. There is a need for more dialogue and a discourse of peace.

The committee has an opportunity to build a democratic republic.

*After the Imrali delegation’s meeting with Devlet Bahçeli, it was announced that the process has entered a new phase, including legal reform and integration. Is there any serious work in this regard?

The parliamentary committee has an opportunity to open the doors of the law to Kurds in the second century of the republic and to take a constructive step toward a democratic society and peace. Taking steps toward lasting peace, building pluralism instead of uniformity, democracy instead of authoritarianism, and a democratic republic that serves as an umbrella for shared life instead of separatism is a responsibility that falls on all of us today.

Of course, ongoing meetings are necessary for progress and play a positive role. After the reports are written and submitted, work on legal amendments will begin. In the coming days, our responsible comrades will share more specific information with the public.

A-H 

ANHA