Commenting on Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chair Devlet Bahçeli's call to PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan at his party's parliamentary group meeting and the discussions on the “new process”, Human Rights Association (IHD) Chair Hüseyin Küçükbalaban stated that the demand for peace is a current demand and that it should be carried forward with reassuring steps. Reminding that trustees were appointed to the municipalities of Mardin, Batman, Halfeti and Esenyurt after the start of the discussions, Küçükbalaban said: “We can say that the peace process has been blocked by the government.”  

 

'THE DEMAND FOR PEACE IS ALWAYS A CURRENT DEMAND'

 

Küçükbalaban stated that the process will become even harsher with the effect of the trustee appointments and the statements made afterwards, “Of course, we wanted to come together with civil society organizations, labor and professional organizations and faith organizations to socialize peace and talk to them a little bit about the role of civil society on how peace can be achieved. The preparations for this work are still ongoing. The boards of the Human Rights Association are already engaged in a serious effort to build a new peace process, to initiate a new process. However, as I said, we also have opinions that the state has blocked this process with the appointment of trustees.” 

 

Human Rights Association Chair Hüseyin Küçükbalaban

 

“If there is a question of disbanding an armed organization or if there is such a demand, then Abdullah Öcalan should be allowed to meet with his organization, civil society organizations, his own political party and legal structures. In this regard, we are making our calls to the government again. In the coming days, we will have a new call and demand for the Human Rights Association delegation to go to İmralı Island,” Küçükbalaban said.  

 

'THE GOVERNMENT MUST REMOVE TRUSTEE FROM ITS AGENDA'

 

Stating that the operations did not stop after the discussions started and bans on protests and events were put into effect all over Kurdistan, Küçükbalaban pointed to the police violence during the trustee protests and stated that more than 250 people, including 65 children, were detained. He stated that 19 people, including 3 children, one of them 74 percent disabled, were arrested. “The government must remove the appointing trustees from its agenda. Instead, they should fulfill their promise and create the conditions for Abdullah Öcalan.” 

 

'SOCIETY IS TIRED OF DISCIPLINARY PENALTIES'

 

Pointing out the importance of “reassuring steps”, Küçükbalaban continued as follows: “These steps must be reinforced with reassuring steps. It is necessary to create a democratic environment in which all social segments can have a common voice on the path to peace, and to pave the way for Abdullah Öcalan to meet with his family and lawyers again. Now there has been one meeting. After that, a public statement was made, but then he was disciplined again. These are things that society is fed up with, that society does not want to hear. Especially the Kurdish people don't want to hear. On the other hand, the peace discourse is really creating hope in the society, and this hope should be increased.”

 

MA / Ömer Güngör