Diyarbakır (Amed) Bar Association Chair Nahit Eren has called for judicial reform as the first step towards resolving Turkey’s Kurdish issue. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday to present the association’s report, Legal Requirements and Proposals for Social Peace in the Context of the Kurdish Issue in Turkey, Eren stressed the need for a clean-up of the legal system as a crucial foundation for any new constitution. He also reiterated this point during an interview with the broadcaster İlke TV, further stressing that the clean-up must start by addressing post-2015 arrests and convictions, referring to those resulting from attempts by the state to reduce the political influence of the Kurds after the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) made massive gains in the 2015 local elections.
The association’s report addresses the structural problems within Turkey’s legal system, pointing to constitutional and international legal issues that impede the resolution of the Kurdish issue. “For a new constitution to succeed, we need a clean slate, starting with legal reforms,” Eren said, adding that Turkey’s laws must align with international human rights standards.
The report highlights the century-long repression of the Kurdish population through policies of denial, repression and forced assimilation. It calls for constitutional changes that recognise Kurdish identity and guarantee basic rights. “Turkey must ratify international human rights agreements without reservations and make constitutional changes to address the Kurdish issue,” it states, suggesting reforms in education to guarantee the right to native language instruction.
In his interview with İlke TV, Eren highlighted the importance of judicial reforms, pointing to numerous wrongful convictions since 2015, including the case of former Diyarbakır Mayor Selçuk Mızraklı. “We cannot build peace on the basis of legal injustices,” he explained, urging the Turkish government to address these wrongs as a first step towards a broader societal reconciliation.
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Eren further stressed the need for Turkey to respect international judicial rulings, referencing decisions of the European Court of Human Rights on individuals such as former HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş and philanthropist Osman Kavala, both of whom remain incarcerated as the decisions in question remain unimplemented. He added, “For a genuine peace process, we need a thorough judicial clean-up and the removal of the legal issues stemming from the post-2015 period.”
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This statement comes amid ongoing discussions about the possibility of a resumption of peace talks between the Turkish government and Kurdish representatives.
