Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Law and Human Rights Commission Co-spokespersons Sevda Çelik Özbingöl and Öztürk Türkdoğan shared the report they prepared on the occasion of 10-17 December Human Rights Week with the public through a press statement held at the DEM Party Headquarters. The report drew attention to the isolation of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan.

 

Speaking first, Sevda Çelik Özbingöl drew attention to the fact that the physical attacks on party buildings and members, as well as the unjust judicial harassment against its members and the uninterrupted bans imposed in Kurdistan cities increased by at least 50 percent in 2024.

 

AT LEAST 632 ARRESTS 

 

Sevda Çelik Özbingöl stated that at least 948 people were detained and at least 632 people were arrested between December 2023 and December 2024. 256 of the members and executives of DEM Party were detained and 50 of them were arrested said Sevda Çelik Özbingöl and added: "Between the same dates, 3,128 detentions were made against our party members, elected officials and workers who participated in the actions and events organized by our party, and 409 people were arrested in total. A total of 564 detentions and 173 arrest warrants were issued for the events such as celebrations and commemorations on cerain days and protests they participated in with our party to organize social opposition."

 

TRUSTEE APPOINTMENTS

 

Stating that after the 31 March local elections, trustees were appointed to 8 DEM Party municipalities, Sevda Çelik Özbingöl stated that there were 9 physical attacks on their party throughout 2024, including their headquarters, and that their MPs were physically attacked 2 times on the rostrum of the Parliament and their microphones were turned off many times for speaking Kurdish. Emphasising that protests and events have been banned in Van since 2016 without interruption, Sevda Çelik Özbingöl noted that 94 bans on protests and events were issued in 2024.

 

FREEDOM MARCH

 

On 13 October in Diyarbakır, a rally for the end of the isolation of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan and for a democratic solution to the Kurdish issue was attempted to be banned, and the Great Freedom March, which started on 1 February 2024 and included representatives of non-governmental organisations, was intervened by law enforcement officers at different stages in Van, Kars and Urfa, Sevda Çelik Özbingöl said that 8 protests were intervened on different dates and at least 81 people were detained. Sevda Çelik Özbingöl stated that hundreds of years of unlawful prison sentences were given in the Kobanê case.

 

"The intervention against democratic politics and the elected will of the people after the elections and afterwards took a different dimension on 3 June. On 3 June 2024, our Hakkari co-mayor Sıddık Akış was detained on the pretext of a trial that has been going on since 2012, and we faced an unjust trustee appointment by turning the ongoing trial against him into an arrest decision and a punishment. On 31 October we faced trustee appointments in Esenyurt, on 4 November in Mardin, on 22 November in Ovacık and Dersim. The ongoing processes of trustee appointments in Halfeti, Batman, Mardin and Van show the extent of these injustices," she said. 

 

PRISONS

 

Stating that prisoners were subjected to various violations of rights during their visits to more than a hundred prisons in 2024, Sevda Çelik Özbingöl said: "We submitted 794 questions and research motions. We also applied to the Human Rights Investigation Institution of the Parliament. Nearly 300 prisoners have been visited, hundreds of face-to-face meetings have been held with prison administrations via telephone, and our commission has made at least 2 reports on prisons this year and still continues its work. Prisons continue to be an area of violation that needs to be closely monitored, from ill prisoners, arbitrary disciplinary penalties, execution burnings, naked searches to the prevention of the right to health."

 

IMRALI PRISON

 

"One of the reports we made on prisons was about the ongoing isolation process in İmralı Island prison.  As the Human Rights Commission, we are following this process, especially with regard to rights violations, prisons and the elimination of isolation, which is one of our important problems," Sevda Çelik Özbingöl said. 

 

DUAL LAW IS BEING APPLIED

 

Öztürk Türkdoğan took the floor afterwards and started his speech by emphasising that "Turkey insists on official ideology". Türkdoğan stated that Turkey should continue with peace and democracy in the second century. Türkdoğan continued as follows: "There is dual law and discrimination in Turkey. No matter what anyone says, the anti-terrorism law and the related legislation impose a dual law on the opponents of the regime, especially the Kurds, and this is a very clear discrimination. The way to end this is through democratisation.

 

REQUEST TO MEET WITH ÖCALAN MUST BE ACCEPTED

 

Turkey has to solve the Kurdis issue. The current developments in the Middle East and the latest situation in Syria dictate a democratic and peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue. The discussions that have been going on in Turkey since 1 October must evolve into a new peace process. These discussions should not be prolonged. Our party's request for a meeting with Mr. Öcalan on Imralı Island Prison must be accepted as soon as possible. Turkey must enter into a real solution process as soon as possible. And it must take steps to solve the Kurdish issue through truly democratic and peaceful means. 

 

ECHR DECISIONS

 

If we really want to return to democracy, we should start by implementing the judgements of the ECHR and the Constitutional Court. Our friends dear Demirtaş and Yüksekdağ, Osman Kavala and his friends, and all politicians who are imprisoned, especially Osman Kavala and Yüksekdağ, who have finalised ECHR Grand Chamber judgements against them, must be released. This is very important Can Atalay must be released. We invite Turkey to obey its own law. While Turkey should democratise, it should not deviate to worse practices.

 

IMRALI ISOLATION MUST BE END 

 

Turkey really needs to put its judiciary on the table. The Venice Commission has recently published a report. Turkey must follow these recommendations of the Venice Commission. Let me say this about the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment. Look, this year the UN Committee against Torture has concluding observations and recommendations for Turkey. Turkey has to comply with these recommendations. These recommendations must be fulfilled and the isolation on İmralı Island Prison must end as soon as possible."