NEWS CENTER - Citizens, politicians and representatives of institutions called for participation in the marches to be held under the slogan “Take a Step for Peace,” urging people to join with the spirit of serhildan and sending the message: “We must force the state to take concrete steps.”

 

Simultaneous marches under the slogan “Gavek ji bo Aştiyê/Take a Step for Peace” will be organized on May 16 in many cities across Kurdistan and Turkey under the leadership of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party. Preparations and calls for participation continue in the centers where the marches will take place, including Cizîr (Cizre) district of Şirnex (Şırnak), Amed (Diyarbakır), Mersin, İzmir and Wan (Van).

 

ŞIRNEX

 

Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chair Keskin Bayındır said that the Kurdish people have shown great resistance for many years and deserve peace. Bayındır criticized the Turkish state for not taking any concrete steps in the “Peace and Democratic Society Process” initiated following Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan’s call.

 

Bayındır said: “We must force the state to take concrete steps. We must build an honorable peace process in the Middle East under the leadership of Leader Öcalan. We are strong; the guarantee of this process is the peoples of Kurdistan who demand freedom and peace. We are millions. We must raise our demand for peace everywhere. Join this voice on May 16. We will march for peace.”

 

Hatice Uyar, the mother of Free Women’s Congress (KJA) member Fatma Uyar, who was killed during the 2015 curfews in Silopiya (Silopi), Şirnex, stated that they have always wanted peace and that the state’s failure to take concrete steps has weakened their trust in the process. Hatice Uyar said: “Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan has fulfilled his responsibilities more than enough and continues to do so. The state has not. We will march so the state takes steps. Everyone should take their place in this march.”

 

Melle (Imam) Beşir Kartal stated that they would participate in the march in the Cûdî neighborhood of Cizîr district with the “spirit of serhildan,” emphasizing that everyone should join the march in order to force the state to take steps.

 

AMED

 

A march under the slogan “Take a Step for Peace” will be held in Amed on May 16 from Cezaevi Üstköşe to Ofis AZC Plaza under the leadership of the DBP and DEM Party. DEM Party Amed Provincial Organization Co-Spokesperson Güliz Kaya said: “The lack of concrete steps and one-sided expectations are creating anxiety in society. Together with our people, we are organizing this march to compel the state and the government to take steps.” Kaya stressed that ensuring Abdullah Öcalan’s physical freedom is of vital importance for the process to move forward and invited the public to join the march.

 

DEM Party Amed Provincial Organization Co-Spokesperson Fırat Yüksektepe stated that the Kurdish people have struggled around Abdullah Öcalan’s ideas for many years and said that the state has still not taken any concrete or confidence-building steps regarding the process. Yüksektepe said: “People now think the process has been frozen by the government. If that is not the case, legal steps must be taken.” He emphasized that necessary legal regulations should be adopted before parliament goes into recess and that Abdullah Öcalan’s conditions must be improved for him to be able to conduct the process.

 

DBP Amed Provincial Co-Chair Ruçem Vefa Elyakut stressed that all sides must take responsibility for lasting peace and called on “women, youth and all segments of society” to join the march on May 16.

 

MERSIN

 

In Mersin, participants will gather at 19:00 in Peace Park in the Akdeniz district and march to Friday Market. Adalet Kuran, Co-Chair of the Çukurova branch of the Association for Solidarity with Prisoners and Convicts’ Families (TUAY-DER), stated that the march they will hold has historic importance. Kuran said that the isolation imposed on Abdullah Öcalan is still continuing and that this concerns them. “Participation in this march is important to unblock the stalled process,” she said.

 

DEM Party Mersin Provincial Co-Chair Reşat Aşan emphasized that the process is a historic opportunity and that legal steps must be taken for it to continue. Aşan invited everyone who stands for peace and democracy to join the march.

 

DEM Party Mersin Provincial Chair Bedriye Kuş also called on everyone to participate in the march for Abdullah Öcalan to be granted status and for democracy to be strengthened.

 

İZMİR

 

In İzmir, a march will take place from Cumhuriyet Square to Gündoğdu Square. Şükriye Tunç from the İzmir Assembly of Peace Mothers stated that they want the state to take steps regarding the process and emphasized that they want to live together as peoples. Tunç said they want the public to participate in the May 16 march.

 

Ayfer Yıldırım, Co-Chair of the Aegean Association for Solidarity with Prisoners and Convicts’ Families (EGE TUHAYDER), said that the peace process had been stalled and that they had concerns regarding the process, stressing that it should move forward quickly and calling for participation in the march.

 

Cavit Uğur from the Socialist Refoundation Party (SYKP) stated that the February 27 call was an important step toward resolving a major social issue that has continued in Turkey for 100 years and said that the call to participate in the march was important.

 

WAN

 

DBP Wan Provincial Co-Chair Cemal Demir, who called for participation in the march in Wan, stressed that legal steps are vital for the process to achieve its goals. Recalling the steps taken by the Kurdish movement, Demir said that no peace process can exist without laws. He stated that the “right to hope” ruling issued by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) regarding Abdullah Öcalan must be implemented and concluded by calling on everyone to join the march.

 

“We will demand the completion of the process and the adoption of legal steps. We call on all our people to participate strongly in the march.”