Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Democratic Regions Party (DBP) co-chair Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar has warned that the deepening political crisis in Kurdistan is spreading despair across Turkey, and called on Ankara to recognise the potential role of the imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan in achieving peace. Speaking alongside Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party co-chair Tuncer Bakırhan at a public gathering in Diyarbakır (Amed) on Saturday, Uçar stressed that despite Öcalan’s 26 years in prison, there is still hope for a solution.
“The suffering caused by war in this country is now being felt across Turkey,” Uçar said. “The policies being intensified in Kurdistan are turning into despair for the whole country.” She stressed Öcalan’s willingness to contribute to a resolution, stating: “Mr Öcalan has stated that he is ready to take the necessary steps towards a democratic solution and peace.”
DEM Party co-chair Bakırhan also condemned the government’s policies towards Kurdish political representation.
“In the last three years, trustees have been appointed to 48 municipalities [in place of] co-mayors elected by the people [who] have been deposed,” he said. “We will never accept this. We are here to say that we will not allow this country to become a land of political genocide.”
Uçar criticised the government’s approach, urging immediate action. “We do not have time to waste on the government’s bargains, on the silence of political parties or on the opposition’s lack of courage,” she stated. “The will of the Kurdish people is to embrace peace. The will of the Kurdish people is to achieve a democratic solution.”
She called for Öcalan’s release and the implementation on 15 February of the ‘right to hope’. “Do not delay Mr Öcalan’s freedom — implement the right to hope!” Uçar urged. “And together, let us build a democratic country and a new century in which peace will be established.”
