“As long as the government ignores the spirit of [Abdullah] Öcalan’s call, the road to democratisation in this country cannot be opened,” said Tülay Hatimoğulları, co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, during a weekly parliamentary group meeting in Ankara on Tuesday.
Addressing her party and a wider Turkish audience, Hatimoğulları sharply criticised the ruling government for failing to respond to Abdullah Öcalan’s 27 February “historic call” for peace and democratic transformation in Turkey.
Hatimoğulları described Öcalan’s message not as a mere text, but “a call made for the 85 million citizens of Turkey to live in a just, democratic society”. She warned that without acknowledging this initiative, “no policy that denies rights and the rule of law can be considered legitimate. It is anti-democratic, harmful to society, and serves no purpose in achieving peace.”
Hatimoğulları also stressed that a genuine peace process in Turkey is impossible without structural democratic change. “Peace comes through democracy. If there is to be real peace in this country, it can only happen with democratic transformation,” she stated.
Since Öcalan’s February appeal, Hatimoğulları said her party has taken the peace message across the country and abroad, underlining its urgency. “In the six months since the call, we haven’t stopped for a single day. We visited provinces and districts across Turkey, spoke with nearly 100,000 citizens in open, transparent meetings, and launched home visits with over 10,000 peace envoys,” she explained.
Internationally, DEM Party delegations shared the peace roadmap with officials and organisations from Asia to Europe. Hatimoğulları said the party’s experience confirms one key truth: “Society wants peace. The people want peace. Everyone is ready for it.”
Hatimoğulları also revealed that DEM Party’s İmralı Delegation recently met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Although she did not disclose details, the meeting signalled ongoing discussions regarding the imprisoned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader’s role in resolving the Kurdish question.
Emphasising Öcalan’s importance, Hatimoğulları said his isolation on İmralı Island remains a major obstacle to peace. “If you want peace, you must remove the political and legal barriers that isolate the key voices of dialogue,” she said.
Turning to broader regional issues, she warned that conflict in the Middle East—particularly involving Iran, Syria, and Turkey—threatens democratic movements and minorities. In Syria, she condemned the exclusion of Kurds, Alevis, and women from political processes, including the constitution drafting. “An Alevi massacre continues in Syria, especially around Latakia. Communities are being systematically displaced,” she said, calling on governments—including Turkey’s—to halt cooperation with extremist groups linked to such violence.
Hatimoğulları also highlighted the role of women in the peace process, stating: “Peace is one of our most essential demands. We women suffer the violence, poverty, and exploitation that war brings.” Recalling the fate of Yazidi and Arab Alevi women abducted and sold by armed groups, she said: “In the 21st century, girls and women are being sold as if in slave markets. We feel war’s destruction in our souls, our skin, our bodies.”
Ending her speech with a rallying cry, she declared: “We will continue to fight until the slogan Jin, Jiyan, Azadî—Women, Life, Freedom—becomes a reality across our entire region.”
