Imrali minutes crisis grows: Allegations that Ocalan's voice was edited

The Imrali Process, which began in October 2024 with Bahceli's initiative and continued with the drafting of a report by the commission established in Parliament and discussions on the right to hope for Ocalan, is in crisis in recent days due to the clashes between the Damascus government and the SDF in Syria.

Harsh mutual statements are coming from both the AKP-MHP line and the DEM Party line.

WERE OCALAN'S WORDS EDITED?

Another detail has emerged in the crisis, which became even more visible with the sudden publication of the minutes of the commission members' visit to Imrali. DEM Co-Chair Bakirhan claimed that the minutes were edited before being released. Bakirhan said, "You do not share what you call minutes through interpretation, selection, or editing. Minutes are conveyed as they are. Anything else is stifling the truth."

"THIS IS A CHEAP POLITICAL CALCULATION"

Bakirhan stated the following:

"These minutes belong to a period when the ground for a solution was more positive compared to today, and when military operations against Northern and Eastern Syria were not yet on the agenda. We had requested that the minutes of the historic meeting held by the Parliamentary Commission with Mr. Ocalan be presented to the commission members and the peoples of Turkey. Parties other than the AKP in the commission had also made such a request. The meeting minutes were not published at that time.

A very short and manipulated summary was read in the commission. In this period, when there is an attempt at a massacre in Aleppo and attacks on Rojava, the sharing of the minutes with the public without asking the commission members or informing them is, of course, the result of a political calculation, but let us say it from the beginning: this is a cheap political calculation."

"IT IS A SIGN OF ILL INTENT"

Mr. Ocalan is not just an 'interlocutor'; he is the chief negotiator for peace and a democratic solution, carrying the historical weight of this issue. The line of peace and democracy is not conjunctural; it is principled, historical, and political. Precisely for this reason, instrumentalizing, distorting, and taking these minutes out of context on the negative ground created today is not a sign of good intent, but of ill intent.

"WHAT YOU CALL MINUTES ARE NOT SHARED WITH EDITING"

Moreover, the method used is problematic in itself. You do not share what you call minutes through interpretation, selection, or editing. Minutes are conveyed as they are. Anything else is stifling the truth. We think they were published to ensure that people form negative opinions about Mr. Ocalan, but this is a futile effort. It is the continuation of the 'Anadolu'dan Görünüm and Tek Türkiye' scenarios, which have been insisted upon for fifty years but have not produced a single result, through different tools. We are in a period where we need to accelerate the Peace and Democratic Society Process. Putting new stress tests in front of the process does not benefit anyone. In this context, we call on those managing these processes not to resort to cheap political calculations."

"THERE IS A BREAK IN THE PROCESS!"

Speaking to Yeni Yaşam Newspaper, Bakirhan commented on the 'process' and the developments in northern Syria. Noting that there is a break in the process, Bakirhan stated that the government has not taken any practical steps outside of the commission:

"The process is continuing, but there is a break and a crisis of confidence in the process, and the responsibility for this break lies with the government's own choices. Since the process began, the government has not taken a single practical step outside of the commission. It has not made any initiative that sees and supports the demands of society. Instead, it devoted all its energy to Northern and Eastern Syria. If it had devoted a thousandth of the effort it spent on Syria to this, we would not be facing this picture today. We have said this many times, both in public and in our meetings with government and state officials: 'Do not put the Syria file in front of the process here. Every positive step you take in Turkey will already have a multiplier effect in Syria.' The process was sabotaged with the Aleppo attack, and distrust in society deepened. We see this clearly: the government has engaged in practices with its Syria policy that will harm both regional peace and the solution process in Turkey, but as a party, we will defend the possibility of peace and a solution to the end.

"AKP IS EXPERIENCING THE ARROGANCE OF POWER"

Stating that the AKP is experiencing the arrogance of power, Bakirhan underlined that Kurds are experiencing an emotional break following the attacks on Aleppo and Rojava:

"For the first time in history, the Kurdish people have set aside their differences such as party, faith, and worldview, and have come together in Syria, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and all over the world to exercise their right to democratic protest for Rojava in the strongest way possible. The spirit of common struggle, which is necessary for national unity that has been worked on for a long time, has been achieved in the squares, on the streets, and on social media. Therefore, the psychological and sociological ground for achieving national unity is now ready from a political perspective.

"States that cannot read the changing sociology and political psychology throughout history fall behind history and society. Perhaps the current government is leaning on certain power balances conjuncturally and experiencing the arrogance of power, but one must see the future. Both our observations in the field and the people from very different circles we have met, as well as from the perspective of sociology and political economy, Kurds have experienced a tremendous emotional break after the attacks on Aleppo and Rojava. The statements of government representatives, the media order, and the lack of any legal or political opposition to the racist delusions on social media have been the most important reasons for the break for Kurds."