Press conference on anniversary of “Peace and Democratic Society” call

On the occasion of the first anniversary of the “Peace and Democratic Society” call launched by leader Abdullah Ocalan on February 27, 2025, the DEM Party and the Imrali delegation held a press conference that included a new message from the leader.

The conference was held at the Yılmaz Güney Theatre in the Çankaya district of Ankara, with the attendance of more than 150 media outlets and journalists.

The event opened with greetings, followed by a video presentation highlighting one year since Leader Ocalan’s call for the “Peace and Democratic Society” process.

Following the screening, the party’s Co-Chairs Tülay Hatimoğulları and Tuncer Bakırhan entered the hall, along with Kurdish politician Veysi Aktaş, members of the Imrali delegation Pervin Buldan, Mithat Sancar, Faik Özgür Erol, Kurdish politician Ahmet Türk, and MP and committee member Cengiz Çiçek.

Before the reading of Leader Ocalan’s message, Co-Chairs Tülay Hatimoğulları and Tuncer Bakırhan delivered speeches.

Tülay Hatimoğulları: It is now the state’s turn to take legal steps

Tülay Hatimoğulları began by commemorating the struggle of Sırrı Süreyya Önder and stated: “The Peace and Democratic Society call was a manifesto launched courageously by Mr. Abdullah Ocalan. His movement took bold steps in response to this call, and on that basis we fulfilled our role, going door to door. Now it is the state’s turn, and it must take legal steps.”

She stressed that democratic integration is not a compromise, but a shared life and mutual acceptance. Everyone, she said, must assume responsibility toward their peoples and political institutions. Democratic integration is for all peoples, and linguistic and religious rights must be respected. “The Republic must become democratic. We will continue our struggle until the end,” she affirmed.

Tuncer Bakırhan: Peace cannot be achieved through unilateral steps alone

For his part, Tuncer Bakırhan commemorated all those who lost their lives in the pursuit of peace and pledged to achieve a just and equal life, noting that Leader Ocalan’s Peace and Democratic Society call had inaugurated a new phase.

He stated: “The Peace and Democratic Society call is a manifesto of mutual acceptance in the face of indifference. But peace cannot be achieved through unilateral steps alone; the state must also take corresponding measures. It is now the state’s responsibility. Coexistence must be translated into reality. Mr. Ocalan’s legal status must be guaranteed, and his physical freedom must be secured. Mr. Ocalan said that a Republic cannot exist without the Kurds, and we say that a democratic Republic cannot exist without the Kurds. We will remain committed to the leader’s call until the end.”

Subsequently, Leader Abdullah Ocalan’s message to the public was read aloud. It was delivered in Turkish by delegation member Pervin Buldan and in Kurdish by Kurdish politician Veysi Aktaş.

A-H 

ANHA