After the decision by the Kurdish Freedom Movement, approved by Abdullah Öcalan, to withdraw its guerrilla forces beyond Turkey’s borders, the second phase of the “Peace and Democratic Society” process has begun.
This historic step, aimed at building the political and legal foundations of the process, was evaluated for ANF by International Relations Expert Toros Korkmaz and Political Scientist Mehmet Zahir Sarıtaş.
The state must implement short- and long-term reforms
Toros Korkmaz stressed that this historic decision by the Kurdish Movement compels the state to take concrete steps. He outlined the immediate actions that should be taken and said that Öcalan, who has already earned his “right to hope,” should be granted full freedom.
Korkmaz stated that all imprisoned PKK members and Kurdish politicians, including Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, should be released. He added that conditions must be created for democratic Kurdish political figures in exile to freely engage in politics in Turkey, and that all cases against PKK members should end in acquittal. He emphasized that amending the local administration law to end the unjust “trustee” (kayyum) system is vital for the progress of the process.
In addition to these short-term reforms, Korkmaz said that medium and long-term structural changes are also necessary, such as guaranteeing mother-tongue and cultural rights, and revising the constitutional definition of citizenship to be inclusive of all ethnic identities in the country, rather than defining it solely by Turkish ethnicity
.The legal phase must begin
Political scientist Mehmet Zahir Sarıtaş stated that the 26 October announcement regarding the withdrawal of all guerrilla forces in Turkey to the Medya Defense Areas was made to open the way for a new stage in the Peace and Democratic Society process and to support Öcalan’s strategic plan.
Sarıtaş pointed out that MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli’s remark (‘Let Öcalan dissolve the PKK, come to Parliament, speak in the DEM Party group, and benefit from the right to hope’) indicates a certain intention. Referring to Öcalan’s past efforts to shift the Kurdish issue from a violent framework to democratic politics, Sarıtaş said that, in this context, the PKK’s decisions to dissolve itself and to end armed struggle are historically significant steps.
Sarıtaş noted that despite all these historic moves by the Kurdish side, the state has so far limited itself to forming a parliamentary commission and has not taken any concrete reciprocal actions. He emphasized that with this withdrawal decision, the state must now move beyond its “terror-free Turkey” framework and focus on entering the second phase, the negotiation and legal phase, as its primary goal.
Zahir Sarıtaş underlined that the fact that this decision was made with Öcalan’s approval shows that it was part of a negotiation process with the state and must be handled within that framework as the process advances.
He added that the state is now expected to take more serious steps toward ensuring democratic and legal integration and said that the upcoming meeting of the Imrali Delegation with the President on 30 October will be an important development in this regard.
Source: ANF