Ahmet Türk has warned that Turkey risks squandering a historic opportunity for reconciliation with its Kurdish population after the country’s latest prison amnesty law failed to address key demands for justice and democratic reform.
Speaking on Sunday at a panel titled ‘The Right to Hope and Peace’ in the city of Mardin (Mêrdîn), Türk — a senior member of the İmralı Delegation and veteran pro-Kurdish politician — described the newly introduced penal reform as a “disappointment” and called for renewed talks in October to meet longstanding Kurdish expectations. “We saw some sincerity, but the current outcome deepened our concerns. This law does not meet our expectations,” he said.
Despite urgent calls from across the political spectrum for a parliamentary role in Kurdish peace talks, Turkey’s parliament will be inactive during the Eid break (6–9 June) and will formally recess from 1 July until 1 October, delaying reconciliation efforts for months.
The panel featured prominent Kurdish and human rights figures including Eren Keskin, co-chair of the Human Rights Association (İHD), and Abdulkadir Güleç, chair of the Diyarbakır (Amed) Bar Association. The event was hosted by the Mardin branch of the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD).
Türk also relayed recent messages from Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned Kurdish leader held on İmralı Island, recalling a conversation about the failed peace efforts of 1993 and the need for a new democratic framework. Quoting Öcalan, Türk said: “We need a democratic republic and a democratic nation. Only democracy can bring success.”
Citing examples from Middle Eastern and global history, Türk noted that movements without democratic foundations ultimately collapse. “Even the Soviet Union and China failed because they lacked democratic culture,” he said.
Türk said that recent talks with political leaders, including the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, revealed surprising openings. He quoted Bahçeli as saying, “If I had political ambitions, I wouldn’t have made this call. But when we look at Turkey and the world today, we must realise Kurdish–Turkish brotherhood.”
However, Türk expressed disappointment that the recent amnesty reform, introduced ahead of Eid, contained “nothing” to support the peace process. Despite this, he insisted, “There is no power that can destroy our hope.”
Referring to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK) recent announcement that it will formally dissolve itself and cease armed activities, Türk said this historic step gave Kurdish efforts “new strength”. He warned, however, that if Turkey does not respond, “it will be Turkey that loses, not the Kurds.”
The panel also addressed ongoing debates over Kurdish self-defence in Syria’s northeast (commonly known as Rojava), particularly regarding the security vacuum in areas containing refugee camps like Al-Hawl (Hol), which houses tens of thousands of former Islamic State (ISIS) affiliates. Türk criticised calls for Kurdish forces to disarm in such conditions, asking: “How can security be ensured when there is no state, no police, no army?”
İHD co-chair Keskin underlined that Kurdish demands for peace should not depend on which political party holds power. “Our goal is not to strengthen governments,” she said, “but to solve the Kurdish issue.” She also highlighted the long-standing use of racially discriminatory legal systems in the Kurdish regions, stressing that the recent shift away from armed struggle marks a revolutionary moment.
In earlier remarks, Keskin said the bill “offers no glimmer of hope for peace”, criticising it for entrenching existing injustices rather than reforming them. “The issue is not one of legal reform, but of political will,” she added, warning that the exclusion of political prisoners from the bill’s limited benefits undermines any serious prospect for Kurdish reconciliation.
Both Türk and Keskin concluded with cautious optimism, expressing hope that a more meaningful process may begin in October.
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