Meral Danış Beştaş, a pro-Kurdish MP, highlighted that resolving Turkey’s Kurdish issue requires more than disarmament; political reforms, human rights, and restoring Kurdish representation are essential for lasting peace.
Speaking on Friday during a live television programme, Beştaş, a member of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, stressed that ending armed conflict alone would not resolve the longstanding Kurdish issue in Turkey. “The Kurdish question has never been just about weapons,” Beştaş said. “It is a political, social and cultural problem that requires a political solution.” She warned that without concrete steps, including the release of political prisoners, restoration of elected representatives’ rights, and legislative changes, peace efforts risk failure.
Beştaş highlighted the “trustee practice” as a major obstacle. This government policy involves replacing elected Kurdish mayors with state-appointed officials, undermining Kurdish political representation in local administrations. “You cannot build peace on repression,” she said. “These steps must be reversed.”
The MP welcomed the Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK) decision to disband its armed wings as a “historic moment” but urged caution, noting widespread scepticism in Kurdish communities due to past peace processes that collapsed. “This is a fragile process. Without guarantees, trust will not develop,” she added.
Beştaş called for a political atmosphere free from intimidation and violence. She emphasised that “dialogue, respect for human rights and recognition of cultural identity” are essential to a sustainable peace.
She further criticised ongoing restrictions on freedom of expression and political participation for Kurdish activists and politicians. “Peace requires inclusion, not exclusion,” Beştaş said. “The state must open space for Kurdish voices in all political arenas.”
The DEM Party MP also pointed to regional instability as a factor underscoring the urgency of peace. She referred to ongoing conflicts in neighbouring Syria and Gaza, saying that “external tensions make a peaceful domestic solution even more necessary.”
“We have the opportunity to change history,” Beştaş said. “But it will take more than the PKK’s disarmament. It demands political will, reforms, and a commitment to justice from all sides.”
