Cengiz Çiçek said at the Munzur Festival that Abdullah Öcalan must be physically free to contribute to a resolution.
As part of the 23rd Munzur Culture and Nature Festival, held under the slogan “Dersim is life; do not touch my nature, my will, my language, or my belief,” a panel titled “Developments in the Middle East, the Kurdish Issue, Peace and Democratic Solution” was held. The event took place on Dersim’s Sanat Street and was moderated by journalist Ergin Doğru.
Representatives from the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP), Partizan, the Labour Party (EMEP), the Socialist Assemblies Federation (SMF), and the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) participated in the panel.
Speakers emphasized that the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East must be addressed through peaceful and democratic means.
Defending the Rojava Revolution is one of our most vital duties
Sezin Uçar, Co-Deputy Chair of the ESP, stated that any discussion on resolving the Kurdish question must take into account the broader developments in the Middle East.
Uçar also emphasized that the Turkish state has taken no concrete steps in response to the dialogue processes initiated on Imralı Island and added: “We must explain the class-based resolution of the Kurdish issue by building stronger ties with Turkish workers and laborers. Defending the Rojava Revolution is one of our most vital duties. This is not a matter that can be resolved solely through parliamentary commissions; the people must assert their will for a solution directly, in the streets.”
In times of uncertainty, we must build common ground and shared solutions
Kazım Tosun, a representative of the Partisan (a revolutionary socialist movement in Turkey), drew attention to imperialism’s exploitative policies in the Middle East and stressed that socialists must defend the right of oppressed nations to equality under all circumstances.
Sevda Karaca, Deputy Chair of the EMEP and MP for Dîlok (Gaziantep), stated that the Kurdish people’s struggle is the driving force behind the peace process, adding: “In times of uncertainty, we must establish clear relationships of solidarity and produce common strategies and solutions.”
Mahir Gürz, spokesperson for the SMF, said the structural crises in the Middle East point to a new era of capitalist turmoil. He underlined that recognizing the Kurdish people’s right to self-determination must be at the core of any lasting solution.
A political space must be opened for Öcalan
In his remarks during the panel, Cengiz Çiçek, MP for Istanbul from the DEM Party, stated: “Wherever we are, our concern should not only be resistance but also organizing our own system. History shows us that when this is lacking, the outcome is defeat. When we approach this issue on the basis of freedom, we must uphold the perspective of a democratic Middle East.”
Çiçek also criticized the repeated postponements of prisoner releases and added: “It is as if they are granting something out of generosity. The law itself no longer functions in Turkey. When you are a political force, you compel the other side to take a step. There is no democracy in Amed (Diyarbakır), nor in Istanbul. Yet within this moment of crisis, a space is opening for the oppressed. What Mr. Öcalan is trying to do, in my view, is to open a political space for the oppressed of this country. Revolutionary movements and leftist politics have also seen their political space shrink. Therefore, the path the Kurdish movement seeks to open is one that creates room for those waging the struggle for democracy and freedom. Unless we position ourselves around the democratic transformation of the system, we will miss the chance to achieve a democratic solution to the Kurdish issue. This is the time to align our political goals around shared values, to elevate our struggle from there, and to pursue the solution to the Kurdish question through this framework.”
Çiçek also noted that both positive and negative narratives about the Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan are being debated during this period, and added: “As someone who has been to Imralı, I can say that on one side is the state, and on the other is Mr. Öcalan. And he is trying to carry out this process under extremely restricted and unequal conditions. For Mr. Öcalan to be able to fulfill his role, his physical freedom must be ensured. Even the current conditions make this work exceedingly difficult. As long as the isolation on Imralı continues, whatever emerges from there reaches the public only in distorted form. At the end of the day, everyone has their own Öcalan, but Öcalan himself is absent. It is our duty, those of us who are revolutionaries, who stand for democracy and social peace, to ensure Mr. Öcalan’s physical freedom.”
The panel concluded with a question-and-answer session, and the festival continued with a musical performance by Gerok Ma
