WAN — Orhan Sakçi, who spent 30 years in prison, said the Peace and Democratic Society Process cannot advance through unilateral steps, stressing that “there must be a process of mutual steps.”

 

The Peace and Democratic Society Process, launched on February 27, 2025, by Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan, is ongoing. Criticism persists, however, that the process is progressing largely in a one-sided manner rather than through reciprocal measures.

 

While the Kurdish movement has emphasised the need for a shift in mindset, democratisation and legal guarantees for a solution, commentators say the process is advancing slowly due to the continuation of the state’s security-focused policies. 

 

Amid regional developments, efforts to find a solution are ongoing, but concrete steps are seen as insufficient. Observers underline that mutual steps, inclusive language and a strong legal framework are needed for the process to succeed.

 

Evaluating the process and state’s approach to Mezopotamya Agency (MA), Sakçi warned that the process would not move forward unless there is a change in the security policies pursued against Kurds in Turkey for the past 52 years, adding that while reciprocal policies are expected, steps taken so far have been one-sided. He stressed that a change in mindset must come first.

 

Sakçi said the state has failed to inspire confidence in the process and noted that no platform has been created for society to express itself. He added that developments in the Middle East have pushed Turkey toward this process. Recalling earlier efforts in 1992 and 1998 that did not succeed, he said transforming the state would not be easy.

 

He said previous peace initiatives had also involved unilateral steps and failed because they did not align with the spirit of the process. He added that the state must take steps through legal reforms. “There must be a process of mutual steps,” Sakçi said, adding that appropriate language in line with the process must also be adopted.

 

Highlighting the importance of legal arrangements, Sakçi said society must also create its own spaces for organisation. He criticised bans imposed even on peaceful democratic activities and said existing laws are based on denial.

 

He also pointed to the role and influence of both formal and informal forces in the process, saying such actors are making efforts to sabotage it.

 

Sakçi concluded: “If Turkey does not establish a legal framework based on democratic principles, these extra-legal forces exist and will be activated. There is a very open ground for this. Yet there is also a basis on which this struggle can prevent such outcomes.”