The 13th meeting of the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission established in the Parliament for the solution of the Kurdish issue continues. Serhat Çakmak and Ekin Yeter Moray, Co-Chair of the Lawyers for Freedom Association (ÖHD), spoke at the meeting. 

 

Çakmak emphasised that with the Call for Peace and Democratic Society, the opportunity to build equal and free conditions where peoples, identities, beliefs, genders and ecology can live together has developed, and stated that the process of political approach to trial in Turkey has been going on since the establishment of the Republic. 

 

Pointing out that these trials reveal the relationship between the judiciary and political power and the relationship between law and power, Çakmak noted that one of the most important examples showing that the judiciary is not impartial is the election of the members of the Constitutional Court (AYM) and the members of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors by the president and the Parliament. 

 

Çakmak said: "Unfortunately, we encounter a lot of cases in the upper bureaucracy as well as in judges and prosecutors. We observe that judges and prosecutors are determined by groups and individuals close to the ideology of political powers and that people close to this ideology are determined, and these are serious obstacles to the independence of the judiciary in the formal sense." Çakmak emphasised that this practice should change.

 

RIGHT TO MOTHER TONGUE 

 

Çakmak, who also included his criticisms and suggestions regarding the use of the right to mother tongue in Turkey, reminded that this right exists in international conventions and declarations, but that Turkey has made reservations to the articles on the right to mother tongue in these conventions. 

 

VILLAGE EVACUATIONS AND ECOLOGY

 

Çakmak also stated that the change in the social structure and ecosystem with village evacuations, forest burnings, tree cutting, dams and road construction destroyed the ecological system. 

 

"Serious changes are required. First of all, the Permit Law, which stipulates regulations in favour of companies in many laws such as the Environmental Law, Mining Law, Pasture Law, Electricity Market Law, should be reconsidered and nature and environment should be regulated. The permanent damages of war mistakes should be eliminated. Forest cutting and fires due to intervention should be stopped," he said. 

 

'EXCEPTIONS HAVE BECOME THE RULE'

 

Ekin Yeter Moray said that if the "right to hope" is implemented, an important development will be achieved for all political prisoners in prisons. Ekin Yeter Moray said: "A very important step for the democratisation of Turkey and the construction of public health will also be provided. I think that together with the right to hope, many rights and the development of democracy will be passed through the door at once." 

 

Pointing out that they live in a regime where exceptions become the rule, she added: "This regime is a regime where exceptions become the rule. 93 mayors were arrested with the subsequent legalisation of a Decree Law issued in 2016. 5 million voters were deprived of their right to vote and be elected. This practice continued in 2019 with 56 municipalities. This was not limited to the region and spread to other municipalities in Turkey."