Tülay Hatimoğulları, co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party in Turkey, spoke at a rally in Silopi (Silopya) on Thursday, calling on the Turkish government to prioritise peace and dialogue over war.
Specifically, Hatimoğulları advocated for negotiations with Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan as a step towards resolving tensions and urged ‘opening the gates of İmralı’, the island prison where Öcalan is detained.
The rally, part of the Botan final meeting, highlighted the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) war preparations and electoral manipulations, underlining the urgent need for a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue. Hatimoğulları condemned the AKP for allegedly acting as a ‘spokesperson’ for attackers in a recent racist assault on Kurds in Belgium and criticised the Turkish Foreign Ministry for supporting the assailants, accusing them of labelling Kurdish victims as ‘PKK militants’.
Furthermore, Hatimoğulları praised the diversity of the rally’s participants, demonstrating the Kurdish community’s aspiration for peace. She called for a democratic response to the AKP’s policies, accusing the party of electoral fraud and intimidation tactics.
Hatimoğulları also highlighted the DEM Party’s municipal achievements in Silopi, contrasting them with the AKP’s governance, which she claimed was marked by corruption and neglect, especially noticeable during crises such as the February 2023 earthquake in Hatay.