A total of 1,043 prominent figures, including politicians, legal experts, journalists and celebrities, have issued a joint statement calling for a peaceful and democratic resolution to Turkey’s longstanding Kurdish issue, the pro-Kurdish Mezopotamya news agency reported on Friday.
The “Kurdish issue,” a term prevalent in Turkey’s public discourse, refers to the demand for equal rights by the country’s Kurdish population and their struggle for recognition.
Among the signatories of the joint declaration titled “Peace and Democracy for All of Us” was Sezgin Tanrıkulu, an MP from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP); journalist Can Dündar; renowned author Ahmet Ümit; prominent poet Ataol Behramoğlu; Ertuğrul Kürkçü, honorary president of the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP); academic Baskın Oran; lawyer, journalist and human rights activist Orhan Kemal Cengiz; and Eren Keskin, the co-chairperson of the Human Rights Association (İHD) and also a prominent lawyer.
The statement accuses the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of trying to solve its problems by resorting to various forms of violence, such as removing elected mayors and appointing state officials as trustees, responding to peaceful protests with police violence, imprisoning anyone who criticizes the government and attempting to resolve the Kurdish issue through violence, as public support for the party decreases.
“Peace is not only the cessation of armed conflict, but also the resolution of the disputes that lead to war, thereby eliminating the cause of the conflict. The peaceful resolution of the Kurdish issue is an essential element of social and political peace,” the declaration said.
The signatories noted that although developments following the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli’s recent call to Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), created an expectation for peace, there is no indication that the government is seeking a peaceful and democratic solution to the Kurdish issue.
“Therefore, we, the undersigned, would like to call for the initiation of a peace process. This is also a call for democracy, justice, freedom, human rights, and the rule of law,” they added.
The signatories, who maintain that the Kurdish issue can only be resolved within the framework of democracy and based on human rights, emphasized the crucial role of democratic society and representative organizations in building lasting and permanent peace.
“Until now, all of the initiatives regarding the Kurdish issue have been carried out by the state or political actors. However, a peace process initiated by democratic individuals and organizations of society, in collaboration with the public, will lead to the socialization of peace, the provision of societal support for the peace process and the establishment of a culture of peace instead of a culture of violence in society,” the statement said.
Bahçeli, a key ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, surprised many when he suggested in October that if prison restrictions imposed on Öcalan were lifted, he could appear at the party group meeting of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), a constituent party of the HDP, and declare the dissolution of the PKK, signaling an end to decades of violence.
The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies, has been waging a bloody war in Turkey’s southeast since 1984. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict.
In his call, backed by Erdoğan as a “historic opportunity” to resolve the Kurdish issue, Bahçeli also suggested that if Öcalan takes this step, there could be legislative action to pave the way for his possible release.
A recent survey by the İstanbul-based Spectrum House revealed that 58.5 percent of Turkish citizens disapprove of Bahçeli’s call to Öcalan.