Türkan Elçi said that peace must be built on justice, stressing that true reconciliation requires confronting past injustices as well as shaping the future.
The fourth and fifth meetings of the “National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission” established by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) to address the Kurdish question and the building of a democratic society were held. At these meetings, the Saturday Mothers, who have struggled for years to have the fate of their disappeared relatives revealed and for the prosecution and punishment of known perpetrators, were heard, along with the Peace Mothers and the Tahir Elçi Foundation. Justice was voiced as the common demand.
Republican People’s Party (CHP) Member of Parliament Türkan Elçi, who has been part of the commission and has fought for ten years for justice for her husband, the murdered Diyarbakır (Amed) Bar Association President Tahir Elçi, spoke to ANF.
As someone who has endured the pain brought by war and conflict and inherited her late husband’s struggle for justice and peace, Türkan Elçi stressed that securing justice is a prerequisite for the recognition of peace.
Essential to be on the commission for peace
Because of the dialogue process that ended in disappointment in the past, Türkan Elçi approached the new process with caution and hesitation. As one of the most important witnesses and victims of the 2013–2015 period, she said that it was difficult for her to greet this process with excitement like an ordinary citizen. However, Türkan Elçi said that the presence of all parties in the commission gave her a little more confidence: “For me, it was a necessity that my party, the CHP, take part in the commission. Because if a genuine peace process is really to be launched, our absence as a party would have left a gap. It could have placed us in a position as though we were obstructing the peace process. For me, no matter how challenging this process is, as someone who has pursued justice for ten years, closely followed the process, and consistently voiced social peace in my statements, it was essential to be on the commission.”
A door has opened for us
Türkan Elçi emphasized that, due to both domestic and international developments, it is very difficult at present to predict how the process will evolve. Yet she welcomed the fact that everyone in the commission agreed that peace must be the subject of discussion.
Elçi stated that through this commission, a door had opened for them to express themselves. In this respect, she noted that approaching the process with a negative perspective or falling into pessimism would not yield good results for society. With this awareness, Türkan Elçi underlined that they are obliged to view the process from a peace-loving and positive perspective.
Tahir Elçi is a victim of an unsolved crime
Türkan Elçi, reminding that she herself carries the burden of pain, stressed the importance of ensuring justice. She recalled that her murdered husband, Tahir Elçi, had spent years pursuing cases of unsolved murders, fighting against the culture of impunity that protected perpetrators, and struggling for an honorable peace. Elçi said: “What is truly distressing is not only that he was murdered while waging this struggle, but also that this has found no response in the judiciary. Our director and president of the Tahir Elçi Foundation also raised this issue in their speeches before the commission. The real pain for us is that the murder of a person who devoted his life to combating impunity is itself being buried under impunity. Think about it: a lawyer, a human rights advocate, dedicates his life to investigating unsolved murders, and in the end he himself becomes a victim of one. That is why we must constantly emphasize around those tables that securing justice is a prerequisite for registering peace. To restore public confidence, an objective and independent judicial mechanism must be ensured. Alongside the independence of the judiciary, we also need to talk about how those who commit crimes hide behind the shield of impunity.”
Justice is the foundation of peace
Türkan Elçi stated that during the last two meetings, the issue most strongly emphasized by the Saturday Mothers, the Peace Mothers, and the Tahir Elçi Foundation was justice, underlining that establishing justice is a prerequisite for peace. She noted that in the most recent meeting, justice once again emerged as the common demand and that a positive atmosphere had formed in the commission regarding this demand. Elçi said: “I felt that in the face of the grievances voiced by the Saturday Mothers, the Peace Mothers, and the Tahir Elçi Foundation, the commission was able to come together in a shared sense of empathy. At the end of the meeting, I also made a speech. I expressed my ideas and thoughts, and afterward members from other parties came to me, commended me, and said, ‘I understand.’ I see this approach as a positive development, and I hope it continues. Because as victims, and especially those affected by the 2013–2015 process, we know very well that without talking about yesterday, we cannot establish tomorrow. Yesterday was marked by impunity, yesterday was marked by injustice. That is why, for us, it is not enough to talk only about tomorrow; we must also confront yesterday. In my speech to the commission, I emphasized this point as well: peace stands in opposition to war, but at the foundation of peace lies justice.”
We must fulfill the expectations of our dead
Türkan Elçi said: “Our dead have expectations of us, and we are obliged to fulfill them. At the same time, we need to strengthen social reconciliation and the culture of coexistence through dialogue, and to regain the human values we have lost in this process. For the establishment of justice, there is a need for an objective and independent judicial mechanism. Today, no matter which segment of society it comes from, whether from the east or the west of Turkey, it makes no difference. Once justice is delivered and freed from political motives, we will be able to speak of peace more easily and continue the process with greater conviction. Dialogue will follow, and through dialogue we will be able to build social reconciliation. Without it, success will not be possible.”
Elçi also said: “For us, confronting the past is crucial. Talking about impunity and unsolved crimes is vital. The Saturday Mothers have been waging a very important struggle for 30 years. On Thursday, Besna Tosun, the daughter of Fehmi Tosun who was disappeared in custody, spoke. Who can look at her testimony with prejudice? Whose heart would not ache listening to her? She is speaking of a thirty-year struggle. To feel sorrow at what Besna Tosun recounted, you do not need to belong to a particular party or a particular community. To understand that pain, being human is enough. The real question is, can we meet on such common ground? Perhaps this process serves precisely that purpose.”
Discriminatory language must be abolished to achieve social reconciliation
Türkan Elçi stressed that in order to achieve social reconciliation, discriminatory and polarizing language and practices must first be eliminated. She recalled that the most recent example of this was unfortunately experienced in the commission, when a Peace Mother was prevented from speaking in Kurdish. Elçi said: “When a Peace Mother wanted to express herself in her mother tongue and was prevented, it actually meant she was subjected to discrimination. It meant she was marginalized. This is exactly what I am talking about. And this discrimination is not limited to what we experienced in the commission. Our colleagues in parliament also have their microphones cut off even when they simply greet in Kurdish. This is Turkey’s reality. I hope that we will have a future where we can overcome all these problems. In the end, when someone speaks in their mother tongue, be assured that the country will not be divided. What really divides people is when they are prevented from speaking in their mother tongue. We must not allow such division to occur. It is not difficult for Turkey to come together without division and without discrimination. But for this to happen, politicians must first change their own language. A common language rooted in humanity and conscience must be established.”
My contribution to the process will carry the effort of two people at once
Türkan Elçi emphasized that it is not right for those who have not experienced deep suffering to use polarizing language simply to express their party’s political views, while victims who have endured great pain manage to speak without agitation.
Elçi gave her own example and said: “For ten years, while expressing my pain, I have tried not to use any propaganda or create any form of agitation. Because agitation does not suit pain. Pain is a feeling that brings people closer together, that strengthens empathy. Yet we often see people speaking in a polarizing way out of party motives. I do not believe that someone who has truly suffered deeply would use such divisive language. I have seen this in my own life. Ultimately, you reach a point where, regardless of whether someone thinks like you or comes from your community, you do not want them to experience the same pain. Because this pain is one that never leaves you for the rest of your life.” Elçi continued: “For ten years, I have never had a bad thought cross my mind, and I believe it never will until the day I die. Will the process end well or not? That depends on the conscience of its actors. If they continue on the basis of their parties’ political interests and cause serious suffering again, as in 2013–2015, then they will bear the burden of society’s judgment. For my part, despite all my concerns, I will strive to contribute to the process in a humane and conscientious way. In this effort, it will be the work of two people at once, both mine, and that of my husband Tahir Elçi, who was murdered after years of struggling for peace
