Gültan Kışanak was imprisoned when she was a student after the military coup in 1980, 40 years after than she is in prison again.
Filiz Gazi from Gazeteduvar asked Kışanak about the impact of September 12 on the Kurdish region and the current government’s approach to the “Kurdish issue”.
Responding to questions from the prison, Kışanak stated that it is an indication that the oppressive policies against the Kurds continue, and “Without seeing what has happened in the last 40 years, and evaluation as if everything is in its place will be incomplete. Even the existence of many Kurdish political hostages like me is an indication that their repressive state policies are no longer working. How many people can they arrest?”, Kışanak said.
”Today’s problem is those who cannot accept change and development. Change, solution, peace will come. The door will surely open to the solution. This historical responsibility rests on the shoulders of all democratic opposition.”, she said.
Kışanak in her statement regarding her approach to the Kurdish issue, she said, ”The current government block has no strategy and solution approaches related to the Kurdish issue and other fundamental issues in Turkey. The only reason why militarist policies are prioritized from inside to outside is to stay in power. Turkey is almost in a fire a chamber of four-line among Syria, Libya, Iraq, and the Mediterranean. How long can this situation continue without a spark? All discussions and agendas ruled by the government should be put aside and create alternative solution strategies.”
Gültan Kışanak is a political prisoner and a journalist. She has been a long-term activist in the Kurdish women’s movement in addition to being a former MP for the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).
She worked as a journalist for 13 years and published sections focusing on the Kurdish issue and women’s rights within the newspaper. She is still writing articles to newspapers from the prison.
