Selahattin Demirtaş, former co-chair of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), has issued a letter from Edirne High Security Prison, expressing his strong support for imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan’s historic call for peace and urging everyone to stand behind it. In his letter, published on 28 February, Demirtaş also stressed the need to establish the required legal and political frameworks within the Turkish Grand National Assembly to secure lasting peace.
Full translation of Demirtaş’s letter:
As we enter the holy month of Ramadan, the new political initiative centred around Devlet Bahçeli, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Abdullah Öcalan has borne its first fruit. Each of these leaders is the most influential figure representing their respective constituencies. Some place great trust in them, while others remain sceptical and concerned.
Of course, both sides have legitimate reasons for their stance, and no one can deny this. This is precisely why achieving peace is so difficult—lasting peace can only be attained through a process that the majority of society trusts, believes in, and wholeheartedly supports. Another challenge lies in the provocations that will arise from national, regional, and global interest groups that thrive on war and fear losing their gains, privileges, and power.
Overcoming these challenges will not be easy, but it is not impossible either. First and foremost, everyone who believes in and desires peace must sincerely strive to overcome these obstacles. At this point, a legitimate question may arise: ‘Alright, we are ready to do our part, but we don’t even know what is happening or what is being planned.’
Let me explain what is being attempted.
My brothers, what is wanted is simply this: an end to war, weapons, violence, terror, bloodshed, tears, death, and destruction. That is all. AN END TO IT ALL! Of course, this must be achieved through the establishment of all necessary legal and political frameworks within the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM).
To those who say, ‘That is not enough for me,’ I have the following to say:
My dear brother, if those who hold the weapons have now decided to end the war, what exactly bothers you about this?
If the struggle is to continue through political and civil means, do you not trust yourself? If you have been engaging in politics by relying on the weapons of the PKK or the state, then naturally, you will feel uneasy about the war ending. However, every war must come to an end, and the most moral and righteous course of action is to prepare yourself for this and support peace.
If you say, ‘I am Kurdish; what will happen to my rights?’ then, first and foremost, you must trust yourself. Trust your experiences, your knowledge, and your politically organised people. Understand and believe that pursuing political struggle is not a form of surrender, defeat, or loss, and continue your journey accordingly.
If you say, ‘I am Turkish, and if concessions are made to “terror,” won’t my country and state be divided?’ then you, too, must first trust yourself and then your Kurdish brothers and sisters, with whom you have shared a thousand years of history. If the state belongs to the Kurds as well, if they can engage in a just, equal, and free political struggle, then instead of division, you must believe that we will all grow together.
If you are hesitant and think, ‘Can it really be this simple? Is there some hidden agenda behind it?’ then let me tell you, my brother or sister: Yes, it is truly this simple. But achieving this ‘simple’ thing requires a serious and well-planned effort.
The solution is simple, but it is also serious. It is serious because this is the Middle East—fingers are still on the trigger, and blood is still being spilled. It is serious because death is serious, and if there is anything more serious than death, it is life. Striving to make life prevail over death is not as easy as it may seem from the outside.
Do not fear peace and peace making, my brother. Do not fear reconciliation, do not fear Turks and Kurds joining hands to strengthen Turkey. Do not fear supporting every step that leads the region towards peace. Do not be afraid—so that this time, we may silence the weapons and let politics speak. Through political struggle, let us fight together against poverty, unemployment, hunger, injustice, and inequality. Let us ensure that the billions of dollars wasted on war are instead spent directly on the people. Let us not forget that peace also means bread, sustenance, and employment.
Erdoğan, Bahçeli, and Öcalan… May God grant them all long and healthy lives. But as these three leaders take the initiative for peace in the Middle East and the historic Kurdish-Turkish reconciliation in the final phase of their lives, I will do more than my share to ensure their success.
And if you ask, ‘What about the elections?’—that is your business, your decision, and your will, my dear brother or sister. You are the people; you have the final say. No one is asking you today to vote for Erdoğan, Bahçeli, DEM Party, or CHP. What is asked of you is to contribute a single drop of water to the tree of peace.
I do not want my soldier brother standing guard in Gabar to die, nor my brother in the Qandil Mountains. Let them both stop firing at each other. First, let us embrace one another as Turks and Kurds, cherishing our shared history of a thousand years. The rest will be the work of political struggle, of politicians, of us May this Ramadan finally bring lasting peace, brotherhood, and tranquillity. Let us all stand by peace for this to happen.
I stand by peace—until we achieve it.
Selahattin Demirtaş
