ANKARA - Ozturk Turkdogan, a member of the DEM delegation that met with Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç, said comprehensive reforms including prisoners should be implemented. "Turkey cannot escape from Öcalan's solution paradigm," Turkdogan said.

 

Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party delegation met with Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç on 24 April. In the statement released by DEM Party, it was stated that topics such as Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan's "right to hope", the situation of ill prisoners, the law on execution, the decisions of the Administrative and Observation Boards and the Kobani Case were on the agenda. 

 

While these topics have been discussed in public for a long time, it remains unclear what arrangements the state/power will make or what steps it will take at this point.

Ozturk Turkdogan, Co-Spokesperson of DEM Party's Legal Commission, one of the names who met with Minister Tunç, made evaluations to Mezopotamya Agency (MA) regarding the topics on the agenda during the meeting.

 

Turkdogan stated that İmralı Delegation members Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Pervin Buldan had planned to meet with the Minister of Justice after their meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, but this was postponed due to Önder's health condition. 

 

Turkdogan stated that the first topic of the meeting was the creation of working conditions for Öcalan and the opening of communication channels, and said that they expected steps to be taken in accordance with the requirements of the solution process.

 

Turkdogan reminded that after the process between 2013 and 2015, the activities of politicians within the scope of the process were subject to prosecution and emphasised that various decisions and laws are needed to prevent such questions.

 

SITUATION OF PRISONERS

 

Stating that issues such as ill prisoners and the Anti-Terror Law were also discussed during the meeting, Turkdogan stated that these issues would be discussed in the ongoing meetings. He reminded that there were favourable conditions for the solution of the Kurdish question in the past but they could not be utilised. 

 

Turkdogan said, "There are many elected politicians, mayors, co-mayors, municipal council members, provincial council members, trade unionists, students, academics, intellectuals, writers, lawyers. They should not be in prison. For this, comprehensive reforms are needed again. As far as I understand, when the PKK holds its congress and the disarmament process begins, we will discuss various special laws and we will have the opportunity to put these comprehensive legal reforms back on our agenda and talk about them very loudly and in the knowledge of the public."

 

‘STATE NEEDS TO TAKE STEPS’

 

Turkdogan said that there will be meetings in the following processes if needed and noted that the DEM Party is in constant dialogue with the Ministry of Justice. Reminding that the PKK has repeatedly named Abdullah Öcalan as the chief negotiator, Turkdogan emphasised that Abdullah Öcalan should have open channels of communication with all segments of society.

 

Turkdogan said, "The isolation will be lifted, communication channels will be opened, working conditions will be improved so that Mr Öcalan will be able to meet with almost everyone, receive their opinions and suggestions - I mean his own movement - and in this way he will have the ability to manage the congress to be convened, even if not physically, through various means of communication. The government is aware of this, the state is aware of this. Therefore, the fact that they are aware of this shows that they need to take steps."

 

‘THIS TIME MR OCALAN VERY DETERMINED’

 

Turkdogan stated that there have been many solution processes in Turkey and that he took part in these processes. "This time Mr Öcalan is very determined. This time he will finalise this process he started in '93. Our people should know this, his determination is very important," said Turkdogan and added: "The process that Mr Öcalan started in '93, which he wanted to do in 2013 but could not be done because of the developments in the Middle East, will now be realised in accordance with Mr Öcalan's paradigm of a democratic nation solution. Turkey can no longer escape this paradigm. Right-wing politicians say that this is a revival of the historical Turkish-Kurdish alliance. But Mr Öcalan has been saying this as a democratic naiton solution for years. Now internal and external conditions are favourable. For the first time in Turkey, all mainstream political parties support the process. Look, this is the first time this has happened. In other words, the main backbone of the People's Alliance, the AKP and the MHP, support the process."

 

Turkdogan reminded that the international public opinion also supports Öcalan's historic call and stated that Turkey cannot miss this opportunity due to its economic and political situation. Turkdogan stressed, "MHP Chair Devlet Bahceli's attitude also shows this. President Erdogan's acceğtamce pf pır delegation and our talks with the Minister of Justice show that we have entered an irreversible point. Moreover, my personal observation is that no one cna go back after this time. I think the process will succeed."

 

MA / Fırat Can Arslan