'Right to hope' on the agenda at Bağcılar rally: Call for Öcalan from DEM Party

A rally was organized by the DEM Party in Istanbul's Bağcılar district with demands for freedom for terrorist organization leader Abdullah Öcalan. While a high turnout was observed at the rally, the statements made by Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan drew attention.

"THE RIGHT TO HOPE IS A PREREQUISITE FOR SOCIAL PEACE"

Starting his speech by offering condolences for the recently deceased artist Kadir İnanır, Bakırhan said, "We have lost Kadir İnanır, a lover of peace who stood by the laborer and the oppressed. Condolences to Turkey."

Bakırhan emphasized that great costs have been paid over the last 50 years in the country to suppress the democratic rights and freedoms of Kurds, and drew attention to the impact of the long-standing conflict on the background of economic difficulties. "If retirees cannot make ends meet today and working for minimum wage is not enough, the root cause lies in the decades-long conflict environment and the resources spent," he said.

Stating that Turkey is in a process open to social change, Bakırhan said, "Turkey can no longer continue on its path in this order where Kurds are denied, the Alevi faith is ignored, and women's rights are disregarded."

Expressing that the most urgent task of politics is to enact a framework law, Bakırhan stated that this law should not allow for discrimination or arbitrariness. He continued his words as follows: "The law must pave the way for a return to democratic politics from the mountains, from prisons, and from exile."

"DELAY IS RISKY FOR PEACE"

Warning that a delay in the resolution process could create grounds for sabotage and risky developments, Bakırhan also touched upon attempts to provoke the rally. "As peace is postponed, it becomes open to provocations. Even at this rally, there were those who did not want peace. There are those who want to engage in politics in the shadow of a war environment and those who are uncomfortable with peace," he said, pointing out that concrete steps must be taken quickly.

'RIGHT TO HOPE' DEMAND FOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION LEADER

In his speech, arguing that terrorist organization leader Abdullah Öcalan has been in prison for 27 years and has consistently maintained a stance in favor of peace, Bakırhan continued his words with the following statements:

"There is only one interlocutor who will stop the war and take weapons out of the equation, and that is Mr. Abdullah Öcalan. Mr. Abdullah Öcalan has spent 27 years in prison. During these 27 years, he has persistently spoken of peace, dialogue, and Turkey's democratic future. And despite being under isolation, he has constantly, persistently, and with great conviction put forth all the effort he could to build peace and dialogue. He persistently advocated for a solution in Turkey. He persistently advocated for this war to end and for the democratic rights and freedoms of Kurds to finally be accepted. Therefore, it is unacceptable for Mr. Öcalan, the sole interlocutor of this issue who can stop this war, to be in isolation from this point on, to be in a 12-square-meter cell. We are now in a process of removing the walls between Mr. Öcalan and the peoples of Turkey; removing the walls between Mr. Öcalan and Kurds, women, Alevis, and laborers, and ensuring that Mr. Öcalan meets with the peoples of Turkey. There is no justification for delaying the conditions for Mr. Öcalan's free life, free work, and meeting with society from this point on. This is also a very important test that will show how sincere Turkey is in its will for peace. There is no peace without the recognition of the right to hope. There is no social peace without hope. The right to hope is this people's right to walk into the future. Therefore, without stalling this process or creating obstacles, we must accelerate the steps to be taken in Parliament for a special law; we must build peace in the face of those who want to create chaos and crises, and those who want to create provocations against this process."

News Source: 12punto