Selahattin Demirtaş's remarks about Özgür Özel in his letter had drawn attention... A response came from Özel: 'I read it with great satisfaction'

Selahattin Demirtaş, the imprisoned former co-chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), drew attention with an article titled "Don't Be Afraid! Peace," published on a website. In the piece written on Thursday, March 13, it was emphasized that a peaceful environment must be established in Turkey, a disarmament process must be initiated, and all segments of society must support this process.

EMPHASIS ON "VIOLENCE IS NOT THE SOLUTION"

In his article, Demirtaş stated that violence is not a path to a solution, while expressing that a peace and resolution process beneficial to Turkey would be possible through a broad consensus in society. Specifically touching upon the Imralı process, Demirtaş emphasized the importance of disarmament.

NOTABLE MESSAGE TO ÖZGÜR ÖZEL

One of the most discussed parts of the article was the remarks directed at CHP Chairman Özgür Özel. Pointing to Özel's stance on the resolution process, Demirtaş stated, "CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, with all his reservations, does not shy away from being a part of the solution."

Demirtaş included the following expressions in his article: 

"At the current stage, with the heat of global and regional risks and in light of these historical and sociological realities, it is certain that a new paradigm is needed. By repeating the old, neither Kurds nor Turks can breathe anymore; they continue to lose blood and lives. It is not easy to break the habits, templates, and taboos of a century.

"Especially when there are so many precious lives lost on both sides, coming forward with a 'new paradigm' requires courage, wisdom, and will. But if we cannot demonstrate our courage, we will never escape this whirlpool, and while we consume each other, we will not be able to stop carrying water to the mill of global imperialism."

Here, Öcalan and Bahçeli are not shying away from taking great risks while demonstrating this courage. President Erdoğan is also taking risks by standing behind this will and is not holding back from leading the solution.

"Similarly, Özel, the leader of the CHP, the founding party of the Republic, is also not shying away from being a part of the solution, with all his reservations."

ÖZGÜR ÖZEL'S COMMENT ON DEMİRTAŞ'S ARTICLE

CHP leader Özel spoke to the Cumhuriyet newspaper regarding Demirtaş's article. Stating that he read Demirtaş's article with great satisfaction, Özel noted that Demirtaş would have active contributions to the establishment of peace during this process, and that his imprisonment should also come to an end, with the following words:

"I read Demirtaş's article with great satisfaction. While there are many important points in the article, I would like to underline this approach: 'The Republic of Turkey is the state of us all.

For the establishment of peace and tranquility in our country, the active contributions of an experienced and successful politician like Demirtaş will be very valuable. Although he does not bring it up himself, for this contribution to be fulfilled effectively, the grievance Demirtaş is experiencing must also be ended.

The Ministry of Justice should quickly initiate retrial proceedings based on the decision rendered by the ECHR, and Demirtaş should regain his freedom. I believe that this will not be an end, but a new beginning for Demirtaş's contributions to stability in the region and democratization in our country."

As the CHP, we see the solution to all of our country's problems in democratization. In such an environment, keeping intellectuals, activists, representatives of professional organizations, elected politicians, academics, and journalists in prison is of no benefit to Turkey or the process."