Tülay Hatimoğulları's 'Abdullah Öcalan' statement: 'We have yet to see a concrete step from the government'

DEM Party Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları spoke at the opening of the provincial co-chairs meeting.

Hatimoğulları claimed that the government has not taken any steps regarding the call of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan and stated the following:

''Whether it was the millions who participated in March 8th and Newroz, or the young people, women, the Kurdish people, and all the peoples in solidarity with them in Amara, there was a common demand; that is the freedom of Mr. Abdullah Öcalan.

In this process, the message of the call made, the call for peace and a democratic society, the regulation of Mr. Öcalan's conditions, and his contribution to these efforts in a free manner has been delivered very strongly. There was a very strong sense of ownership. The most fundamental message of the millions who filled the squares, especially during Newroz, was to embrace the call for peace and a democratic society, and the millions gave a very strong message to the state, the government, and every segment of society to fulfill the requirements of this, saying 'we stand behind this call'.

'WE HAVE YET TO SEE A CONCRETE STEP TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT'

We have repeatedly expressed that we stand behind this call. Unfortunately, the current government has not yet taken a significant step in this regard. As the DEM Party, we are working day and night to create the necessary political, legal, and social ground for this call, which is embraced by every segment of society, to come to life. But we have yet to see a concrete step taken by the government and the state."

Hatimoğulları commemorated all the media workers who lost their lives on the occasion of the April 6th Day of Killed Journalists and stated, ''Let this be our promise; no pen, no glasses, no keyboard will be broken. Everyone will be able to report the news freely. We will also be able to exercise our right to receive information." Pointing out that developments in the world also affect Turkey, Hatimoğulları continued as follows:

"Geopolitical tensions are on a very serious rise worldwide. The struggles for freedom and democracy that peoples are waging on a global scale, especially in the Middle East, are unfortunately being overshadowed by these repressive regimes that are increasing in a geopolitical sense and these new developments. It is impossible to accept this.

The process that began with Israel's occupation of Palestine on September 7th, the Russia-Ukraine War, the developments in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Iran, and most recently the important developments in Syria... All of these directly affect Turkey, us, and every person sitting in this hall, one by one. These developments are never independent of each other. With the latest statement made by Trump, we see that he has added a new dimension to trade wars.

Due to the policy applied to China, we see that China is not standing silent, and we are currently facing developments that will directly affect political and social developments all over the world in a deep and silent way, both commercially, militarily, and politically. We are on the eve of a Third World War. The possibility of a Third World War occurring and spreading is not weak at all.

When we look at the past history of the European Union and European countries today, we see that they have fallen behind in terms of human rights and democracy, which the people there have achieved at the cost of a thousand sacrifices, in light of these developments. This is very dangerous. One of the most important dangers is the increasing budget allocated to armaments on a global scale. These are, of course, issues that should worry the whole world. In a period when nuclear armament is increasing, we must not forget for a moment that this will cost human lives far beyond the First and Second World Wars and will cause the earth to become an unlivable place. For this reason, it is high time to organize the internationalist peace movement together against these clashes and conflicts that do not recognize borders, not only in our own country but also in our region and on a global scale.

'DEMOCRATIC SYRIA'

We all know that the developments in Syria directly affect Turkey and the call for peace and a democratic society that we are in and trying to develop. The developments following the change of administration in Damascus were not pleasant developments. Attacks on different peoples and faiths there continued unabated. Alawite women are being kidnapped and turned into objects sold in slave markets in the 21st century. Against all this, we are in favor of building a democratic Syria in Syria. The social contract developed by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria is an approach that will find a fundamental solution to these problems if it spreads across the entire territory of Syria; it is a social contract, it is the infrastructure of a constitution."

'A SERIOUS CHAOS IS BEING EXPERIENCED'

Stating that an unjust policy is being pursued in Turkey, Hatimoğulları noted the following:

"A very serious chaos is being experienced in Turkey. We cannot handle political developments in Turkey independently of Syria, the Middle East, or the world. Turkey has been facing a very deep economic crisis for a long time. At the same time, democracy and the judiciary are in crisis, and freedoms are dying. While this is the case, we see that the call of Mr. Öcalan, which emerged as a ray of hope, has not yet been sufficiently responded to by the current government and the state, and we do not find this right. While we were waiting for democratization, waiting for steps to be taken regarding peace, waiting for the conditions of Imralı to be improved, in short, waiting for democracy steps to be taken, what did we encounter? We encountered an operation targeting many municipal administrators, including the Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. Following this operation, people all over Turkey, especially young people and women, exercised their democratic rights with the most important civil disobedience actions ever experienced in Turkey. Young people boycotted universities. At the same time, there was a boycott regarding products and shopping. This is a very important development. The society has shown with these democratic outbursts that it does not consent to the government's increasingly authoritarian approach. But how did the government respond to these outbursts? Instead of understanding them, instead of addressing them in the context of sociological, economic, political, and freedom-related demands, in the context of democratization demands, what did it do? It used more gas, batons, and the stick of the judiciary. It is impossible to accept this. We evaluate this approach as a sabotage of the call for peace and a democratic society. Politics, the judiciary, law, and justice are practically under the rubble. We must get rid of this rubble.

'THE FUNCTIONING OF THE DIALOGUE PROCESS CANNOT BE A LACK OF DIALOGUE'

I want to underline once again that the isolation of Mr. Öcalan in Imralı continues. Free working and living conditions must be created as quickly as possible, no matter what. You will both call this process 'dialogue' and the functioning of the dialogue process will be a lack of dialogue; this cannot be. In other words, the functioning of the dialogue process in this period cannot be a lack of dialogue.

We underline once again how important Mr. Öcalan's call is for establishing Turkey's internal peace in light of these developments in the Middle East, Syria, and on a global scale. This call is not only for the Kurdish people, but a call that will respond to the demands of the 85 million citizens living in Turkey. People are hungry, poor. Just yesterday, there was a 25 percent hike in electricity and a 20 percent hike in natural gas. People are at a level where they cannot even buy a kilo of chocolate during the Ramadan Feast they spent. This call is also for workers, laborers, the poor, Alevis, and all oppressed and exploited segments in Turkey.

'A COMMISSION CAPABLE OF TAKING JOINT DECISIONS MUST BE ESTABLISHED'

Everyone is ready for peace. From the opposition in Turkey to many segments, everyone is ready. It is very important that concrete steps are taken in Parliament. The most feasible of these is the urgent establishment of a commission that can take joint decisions.

It should be known that the politics of stalling, the politics of spreading over time, does not benefit anyone; it causes our 85 million citizens to lose. As the DEM Party, which takes its place on the side of the peoples, the oppressed, and the exploited, while such serious changes are taking place all over the world and global systems are trying to rebuild and restructure themselves, we cannot remain the same. I would like to state here that we will also enter into a brand new organizational move. While everything is changing, we have to take a step that does not use the same struggle paths and methods, but develops them further and leaps them forward. For this reason, as Mr. Öcalan stated, we are going through a phase where we need to organize more in democratic politics. We will organize more among the peoples, the Kurdish people, the Alevi community, different peoples and faiths, workers, laborers and the poor, women, and young people."

News Source: 12punto