DEM Party calls on reconciliation commission to hear Öcalan: 'For a permanent solution to the issue...'

The Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) has pointed out that the initial phase of hearings by the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission, which is continuing its work in the TBMM, is coming to an end and has presented new proposals.

In a joint written statement issued on behalf of the party by Commission members Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit, Meral Danış Beştaş, Hakkı Saruhan Oluç, Celal Fırat, and Cengiz Çiçek, steps that need to be taken in the reconciliation process were highlighted, and a call was made for the terrorist leader Öcalan to be heard.

The statement included the following: "Hearing Mr. Abdullah Öcalan by the commission should be addressed as a necessity for a permanent solution to the issue. The commission hearing Mr. Öcalan is of decisive importance for the successful conclusion of the current process."

The statement from the DEM Party commission members is as follows:

"The National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission, established within the TBMM, has been continuing its activities since August 5, 2025. The commission was formed to establish the legal and political ground that will contribute to a democratic and peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue.

We would like to reiterate that we find it extremely valuable that political parties representing nearly the entire will of the people are represented in the Commission regarding one of the most fundamental issues of the Republic. This emerging political will has brought the political institution and sphere, which should have a historical role in solving the issue, closer to being a interlocutor for a solution at this level for the first time.

In this process, which stands out with its unique characteristics and where historical calls and developments have taken place, public expectation for the Commission to play its role on the parliamentary ground is high. While we know that the Commission is not the interlocutor for everything, we are also aware that if it plays its role correctly and functionally, it will have a contribution that will open the door to historical developments.

1. The first phase of the Commission's work is being completed and the hearings are nearing an end. We would like to express once again that we find the thoughts and suggestions of individuals and institutions from different circles regarding peace and a solution to be extremely valuable. For our party, the main output of the hearing phase is the inevitability of a democratic and peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue. Even if their references and grounds differ, what has been expressed in the Commission has once again revealed that a historical solution to the Kurdish issue is mandatory.

2. It has been expressed by many institutions and individuals that the transition of the process to the positive peace phase is as important as the negative peace phase, which is considered at least a state of non-conflict. We find the findings that came to the fore during the hearings to be very valuable, such as the need for "the establishment of justice, the construction of social trust, the institutionalization of equality, and the clear demonstration of the will of different identities to live together equally and in peace" for positive peace; that the environment of trust can be "provided through the principle of reciprocity"; the importance of "eliminating root causes" based on the fact that the issue "cannot be compressed into just the dimension of armed movement"; that "permanent peace cannot be achieved only with security policies"; and "abandoning policies of denial, rejection, and assimilation." We strongly underline that the Commission should benefit from these suggestions that came to the fore in the hearings in its future work.

3. It is correct to develop a permanent solution by addressing the issue with its political, cultural, social, and economic dimensions. With the awareness that the issue has gained a regional and global character, hearing Mr. Abdullah Öcalan, whose organizational, political, and social response and level of determinacy are clear, by the commission should be addressed as a necessity for a permanent solution to the issue. A real solution involves calling the issue by its name and thinking and taking steps according to the truth without bending or twisting the facts according to the side we are on. The commission hearing Mr. Öcalan is of decisive importance for the successful conclusion of the current process.

4. With the opening of the Parliament, the first phase, which we can describe as the political and social phase, will give way to the second phase, which we describe as the legal phase. The reason for the Commission's existence is to create recommendations and drafts regarding the legal regulations required by the process. Our party's relevant boards have preparations on topics such as the changes needed in the Transitional Period Law, the Execution Law, the Anti-Terror Law (TMK), the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), and the Criminal Procedure Code (CMK); the strengthening and democratization of local administrations, especially the trustee regulation; anti-discrimination regulations; and education in the mother tongue. With the opening of the new legislative year, it is the most fundamental task of the second phase for the parties that have members in the Commission to present concrete proposals on relevant topics and to work with the goal of reaching a consensus on these proposals. Because one of the most important steps in permanently eliminating the ground for conflict is the establishment of the rule of law and ensuring equality before the law.

5. On the other hand, it is noteworthy that the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, in its decision dated September 17, 2025, referred to the Peace and Democratic Society Process and pointed to the duties of the Commission and the parliament regarding the right to hope. In an environment where the Committee of Ministers points to relevant political and legal steps in Turkey, taking the steps required by the process in the context of the right to hope, taking initiatives, and accepting this as a principle will be one of the most vital developments for a fair, equal, democratic, and social solution to the Kurdish issue.

6. As the DEM Party, our primary goal within the scope of the Commission's activities is to create the possibilities for a legal and political solution by moving the Kurdish issue away from the ground of conflict. It is inevitable that the Kurdish issue be addressed with a perspective of democratization and the transformation of mentality that this requires. As an academic stated during the hearings, "Not every peace may result in democracy, but democracy will not come to Turkey without the Kurdish issue being solved."