Kurdish politicians Sebahat Tuncel and Gültan Kışanak, recently released from prison, joined the ‘Justice and Freedom from Kobanê to Gezi’ forum on Tuesday in Istanbul, where they criticised the Turkish state’s oppressive tactics used against the Kurdish community, and the politicised use of the country’s judiciary.
Addressing the audience, Tuncel brought up the widespread legal challenges faced by Kurds: “They ask why the People’s Democracy and Equality (DEM) Party nominated someone who had a lawsuit against them. Is there any Kurd in Turkey who is a democrat and hasn’t had a lawsuit filed against them? Please, think about it.”
The speakers referred to the arrest and removal on Tuesday of DEM Party’s recently elected Hakkari (Colemêrg) Co-Mayor Mehmet Sıddık Akış and the government’s immediate appointment of a ‘trustee’ in his place.
Kışanak highlighted the severe implications of trusteeships, a method frequently used by the Turkish government to displace elected Kurdish officials, on local democracies and particularly on women.
“When local democratic governance flourishes, women can breathe. Trusteeships are suffocating women. All women’s institutions have been shut down, and the number of female homicides has increased,” she explained.
Both speakers linked the crackdowns with their own experiences in the Kobani (Kobanê) case, to a broader strategy of silencing opposition and legitimising unjust practices through manipulated judicial proceedings.
“These trials were symbols. They were used to suppress the society and legitimise all sorts of irregularities through state-conducted tours and policies,” Kışanak noted.
The denial of Kurdish rights remains systemic, Tuncel said, noting, “This country does not [even] allow Kurds the right to mourn or bury their dead.”
The forum concluded with a strong call to action against the suppression of democratic rights, emphasising the role of women in leading the fight for justice and freedom in Turkey.
