ISTANBUL - Speaking at the “Conference on the Democratic Transformation of the Republic in Its Second Century,” İmralı Delegation member Özgür Erol stated that a Peace Law should be enacted, saying, “Everyone wins, why shouldn’t the Kurds?”

 

On the second day of the “Conference on the Democratic Transformation of the Republic in Its Second Century,” held in Istanbul, discussions focused on the Kurdish question, democratization, and perspectives for a shared future.

 

Şükrü Aslan, speaking particularly about policies of Turkification, said: “With this conference, we are inviting Turkey to be reasonable and to confront its past. I hope policymakers will take the outcomes of this conference into consideration.”

 

Ruşen Seydaoğlu stated that lasting peace can only be achieved through the transformation of structural inequalities, mechanisms of exclusion, and relations of domination.

 

Ruşen Seydaoğlu concluded by saying: “The litmus test of a democratic republic, and whether it will succeed, lies in how all those who are considered ‘others’ approach women’s liberation. When we take women’s liberation as a fundamental principle, I believe we come much closer to a democratic republic.”

 

Mehmet Bekaroğlu said: “It is important for peace processes to become socialized and for confidence-building measures to be taken. ‘As a human being I want to feel safe, I need to be able to feed myself, and I should also have the right to choose…’ We need a system in which all of these needs can be met for everyone.”

 

Speaking at the panel titled “Possibilities for Democratization from Society to the State,” İmralı Delegation member Özgür Erol described the current process as a “third democratic integration process.”

 

Stating that resolving the Kurdish question would both pave the way for democracy in Turkey and enable Kurds to play a more active role in regional and political affairs, Erol said, “Everyone wins, why shouldn’t the Kurds?”

 

Erol stated that Kurds had been excluded from the spheres of law and politics for many years and emphasized that democratic integration aims to secure recognition of the collective existence of the Kurdish people and create space for a democratic society.

 

Noting that a Peace Law is necessary for the success of the process, Erol said that such legislation would guarantee the Kurdish people’s right to engage in politics and organize freely.

 

Erol summarized the expectations of the law as follows:

 

- There should be an institutional framework that ensures the continuity of the process and includes all parties involved.

 

- After the law is enacted, it should guarantee political participation and the right to organize for those who will benefit from it.

 

Erol also relayed the words of Abdullah Öcalan: “It is not possible to transform societies burdened with great anger without great ethical values. Society is experiencing a profound impasse. That is why we insist and act with urgency.”

 

At the end of the session, Akın Birdal, speaking on behalf of the conference organizers, sent greetings to Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan.