Koçyiğit: The commission should establish dialogue with Abdullah Öcalan and listen to his thoughts

DEM Party Group Deputy Chair Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit said that the parliamentary commission should establish dialogue with Abdullah Öcalan and listen to his thoughts.

Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit, Deputy Chair of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), held a press conference in Parliament assessing the current developments.

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Commenting on the parliamentary commission seeking to resolve the Kurdish question, Koçyiğit said it is important to listen to the victims of the conflict: “It is valuable that people who have suffered and lost their loved ones in the conflict contribute to this process, take a stance in favor of a solution, and speak out on this issue in a meaningful way. Today, institutions such as the Peace Mothers, Saturday Mothers, Human Rights Association, and Tahir Elçi Foundation will be heard at the commission meeting.”

Peace Mothers’ struggle will shed light on the commission’s work

Highlighting the struggle of the Peace Mothers, Koçyiğit continued: “Their struggle for peace will shed light on the commission’s work and contribute to it. The Commission will also hear the Human Rights Association, which has documented the 1990s, unsolved murders, and rights violations experienced by all segments of society, published reports on these violations, and followed up on them. It is an association that has itself experienced victimization and been targeted at various times. In this sense, every word the Human Rights Association will utter and every proposal it will make in the context of resolving the Kurdish question will be of great value.”

Saturday Mothers have also been fighting for 30 years

Noting that the Saturday Mothers have also been fighting for 30 years, Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit stated: “Some of them lost their spouses, some lost their siblings, some lost their mothers and fathers. But they did not give up. They were detained and faced lawsuits. Still, they have continued their relentless struggle for justice to find their loved ones and bring those responsible to justice. In this sense, I once again remember with respect, gratitude, and love Mother Berfo, who lost her life without being able to find her child’s remains, and Emine Ocak, who symbolizes the struggle of the Saturday Mothers. Their struggle was a historic one, and today the best response we can give in their memory is to establish, build, and sustain social peace.”

We have all witnessed the crucial role of Öcalan

Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit criticized the stance of some circles against the Peace and Democratic Society Process, saying: “As if Mr. Öcalan’s February 27 call never existed, as if the organization did not respond to this call and did not make a decision on May 5-7, and as if the weapon-burning ceremony on July 11 never took place, attempts are being made to create an atmosphere to obscure all of this truth, and to spark debates to cover it up. Yet all of these were major historic milestones in the context of 45 years of conflict and the 100-year-old Kurdish question. As the peoples of Turkey, we have all witnessed the crucial role Mr. Öcalan has played in overcoming these historic milestones, the binding nature of his words, and the organization’s response to his words.”

Öcalan is the binding authority and decision-maker in this process

Emphasizing that Abdullah Öcalan pointed to the Parliament in every meeting, Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit said, “Mr. Öcalan pointed to the political and legal ground. Yes, politics must take responsibility and take steps quickly to fulfill the legal requirements of the process. For this reason, just as social groups are being heard here, just as all the victimized groups are being heard throughout the process, the views and thoughts of Mr. Öcalan, who is the binding authority and decision-maker in this process, should also be heard. In this sense, we want to emphasize the importance of consulting his ideas and establishing dialogue.”

Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit also spoke out against the operations targeting municipalities, saying that the most recent arrest of the Mayor of Beyoğlu, Istanbul is an operation to bring social opposition into line.

The people see very well those who feed on war, blood, tears, and violence

Koçyiğit drew attention to the forces opposed to a solution, particularly the İYİ Party, saying, “Let us be very clear and explicit: the people see very well who feeds on war, blood, tears, and violence. They see who wants a solution, peace, and equality, who stands for the Kurdish and Turkish peoples living together, a shared future, and equal and free citizenship in a shared homeland. Additionally, the people see who is using the blood of Kurds, the blood of the poor, and the blood of the Turkish people to do politics, and who is feeding off deadlock and trying to sit in these seats through that deadlock. In this sense, we leave such provocations to the conscience of our people