Kurdish people do not demand but reclaim their rights, say imprisoned Kurdish politicians, in a letter addressed to the “Resolution of the Kurdish Issue and Peace” conference organised by the Human Rights Association of Turkey in the Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakir (Amed) on Saturday.
Selahattin Demirtaş and Selçuk Mızraklı, Kurdish politicians currently incarcerated in Turkey, have made a strong case for resolving the Kurdish issue without seeking new dialogue partners. Their message was delivered during the Human Rights Association’s (İHD) conference on “The resolution of the Kurdish issue and peace” held on Saturday. They emphasised that the issue should not be seen as a ‘Kurdish problem’ but rather as a matter of Kurdish rights to freedom.
Messages from Mızraklı and Demirtaş highlighted the importance of recognising Kurdish rights and the futility of seeking new negotiators, suggesting that the negotiators are obvious [Abdullah Öcalan, imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Turkish government] and that the issue has been sufficiently discussed, albeit with no significant results from previous dialogues.
Demirtaş and Mızraklı’s statement addressed the misconception of the ‘Kurdish issue,’ suggesting the term ‘the right to freedom of Kurds’ as a more appropriate description. They outlined the Kurds’ struggle for freedom and dignity against oppression and highlighted the necessity of engaging with the government and other parties in Turkey for a fair resolution. They also called for the involvement of a wide range of societal actors, including political parties, civil society organisations and intellectuals, in the peace process.
Below is a translation of Mızraklı and Demirtaş’s letter to the conference:
“We have never truly accepted the conceptualisation of the issue as the ‘Kurdish issue,’ although unfortunately, it has been named and accepted in this way. This conceptualisation, by bringing together the words ‘Kurd’ and ‘issue,’ also creates the perception that Kurds are a problem or cause problems. From our perspective, the correct naming should be ‘the right to freedom of Kurds.’ Those who refuse to acknowledge the legitimate rights of the Kurdish people, trying to oppress and annihilate them, yes, for them this is their ‘Kurdish issue.’ We Kurds do not have a ‘Kurdish issue.’ We have the right to freedom stemming from being a people. When we attempt to exercise this right, we face massacres, oppressions, executions, tortures, exiles, hangings and enslavements.
The Kurdish people have no demands from anyone. Because demanding implies a hierarchical relationship. Instead of demanding, Kurds want to reclaim their usurped freedoms. For us, Ankara, Tehran, Baghdad or Damascus are not authorities to be petitioned; they are counterparts for resolution. Our discussion topic is how to end the legal plunder resulting from the de facto, forced occupation of our homeland, Kurdistan.
We, as Kurdish politicians in Turkey, have chosen the path of democratic, peaceful, political struggle to end this legal plunder, and we are paying its price. Despite all the tyranny, injustices and lawlessness we face, we persist in our political struggle, dialogue and negotiation. We believe in establishing a dignified peace through fair compromise reached through discussion and debate. We have no doubt that the conditions for this will eventually be met. However, unfortunately, every day, every hour delayed in this regard continues to shed blood and our people continue to fall to the ground. Therefore, we wholeheartedly wish and support the courageous, fair discussions you will conduct to lead to practical initiatives.
In terms of Turkey, there is nothing left unsaid regarding the ‘Kurdish issue.’ However, it is still beneficial to insistently and repeatedly speak until an honourable peace is achieved. Otherwise, we cannot find solutions to our problems. In the case of the ‘Kurdish issue’ in Turkey, there is no need for new searches for interlocutors in dialogue and negotiation, and no result can be achieved. Although unsuccessful, every resolution process has offered us important experiences. With the right lessons learned by everyone from these, we hope and believe that we can succeed this time.
Of course, if the resolution of the Kurdish issue is to be discussed officially around a table – and we believe it should be discussed without delay – the government, representing the Republic of Turkey, must be at the table. Since the government is currently represented by Mr. Erdoğan, he is the primary counterpart in this matter. Mr. Öcalan, well-known and officially recorded as legitimate in the state’s memory from past experiences, is another counterpart. However, such a deep and complex issue cannot be resolved by two individuals alone. Therefore, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey itself, all political parties in the Parliament, Kurdish political parties, civil society organisations, academics, intellectuals, women’s movements, unions, bar associations and all social structures are also parties and counterparts to the issue. Everyone who believes in honourable, fair peace must be an active participant, executor and owner of this process. Otherwise, it is impossible to overcome this challenging issue. As Kurdish politicians, despite all the injustices we face, we would like to state that we are ready to offer every kind of support for the sake of the dignified peace our people deserve, instead of succumbing to revengeful, vindictive emotions.
Those ready to put their hands, their bodies under the stone for an honourable peace cannot, and should not, engage in petty, personal calculations. All friends who contribute to the discussion in this hall today are precious peace emissaries for us. You are aware that your role and mission are not just to talk and disperse in this hall. We want you to know that, like millions of peace lovers, our support, our hearts are behind every effort for honourable peace you undertake. We hope that our quest for peace is heard and regarded by all relevant parties. ‘We are preparing for major military operations this summer,’ say some, but instead, ‘We will open the doors to great peace this summer’ would benefit everyone. The alternative leads to much greater disasters and losses.
We warmly greet each of you individually, hoping to meet in free tomorrows, with our best wishes for peace, respect and success.
Selahattin Demirtaş, Adnan Selçuk Mızraklı”
