Former political prisoner Sebahat Tuncel has warned that disarmament alone is not enough to achieve lasting peace in Turkey, saying the government must take meaningful legal and political steps to ensure democratic participation and end long-standing practices marginalising Kurdish representation.
Speaking on Sunday at a women-led panel titled “Peace by women’s hand, ascent with democratic society” in İstanbul, the pro-Kurdish activist and former MP said that Turkey was currently in what she defined as the second phase of a broader peace process, following the announcement by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) that it would disarm and dissolve. However, she added that further progress depended on state action.
“If the state takes the necessary steps, then in the third phase responsibility will fall on all those in support of democratic society,” she said. “The silencing of weapons does not mean peace or democracy—these need to be secured and guaranteed.”
Tuncel, who is affiliated with the Free Women’s Movement (TJA), was speaking alongside members of various women’s organisations and of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party. The panel was held at the Gazi Cemevi, a prominent Alevi cultural and religious centre.
Referring to a statement issued on 27 February by imprisoned Kurdish leader and founding figure of the PKK Abdullah Öcalan, Tuncel said, “Mr Öcalan called for recognition of different identities and beliefs, and for the removal of obstacles to their participation in politics. This has legal implications. Kurds in Turkey can become MPs or even the president of the republic, but they cannot be officially recognised as Kurds.”
Öcalan’s message, she noted, had been positively received by the PKK, which subsequently announced that it would dissolve itself. “We are now in a new phase,” Tuncel continued. “The government has not rejected its responsibility outright, but it is proceeding very slowly. What is needed is legal reform—such as ensuring the right to vote and be elected—and an end to the trustee system.”
The trustee system refers to a controversial practice in which the Turkish government removes elected mayors in Kurdish-majority cities and replaces them with state-appointed officials, often citing vague security or legal concerns. Critics say this undermines local democracy and fuels political distrust.
Tuncel also contextualised the issue in relation to broader conflicts. “Women’s bodies have become battlefields in war. The violence of conflict leaves deep scars on women and normalises brutality. That is why peace is not a preference for women—it is a necessity,” she said.
Responding to questions about trust in political actors, Tuncel remarked: “We do not trust [President] Erdoğan or [Nationalist Movement Party leader] Devlet Bahçeli. For us, Mr Öcalan’s role is the only true assurance in this process. Kurds want to solve problems through politics, not war. But only those who fight can sit down to make peace.”
She concluded by stressing the need for a legally backed democratic solution: “We have to guarantee peace. Disarmament must be matched by structural reforms and protections, for the silence of the guns alone does not mean peace.”
