TURKIYE
Kılıçdaroğlu determined to resolve Kurdish issue through democratic means
ByTurkish Minute
April 13, 2023
Turkey’s main opposition leader and presidential candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has stated in the foreword of a book authored by a lawmaker from his party that they are determined to resolve the Kurdish issue through democratic means, pointing to the Turkish parliament as the place for talks to that end, the ANKA news agency reported on Thursday.
The Kurdish issue, a term prevalent in Turkey’s public discourse, refers to the demand for equal rights by the country’s Kurdish population and their struggle for recognition.
“We are resolute, just as we were yesterday, in resolving the Kurdish issue through democratic means [and] putting an end to terrorism,” the Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader said in the foreword of MP Sezgin Tanrıkulu’s book, titled “Hear [this] from me, too. What Did the CHP Say about the Solution to the Kurdish Issue?”
Tanrıkulu is also a human rights lawyer known for his defense of the rights of Kurdish citizens.
Kılıçdaroğlu also accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of “exploiting” the settlement process solely to protect his political position and making the citizens pay its heavy costs.
The settlement process, which refers to talks between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government and the leadership of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to resolve the Kurdish issue, began in 2012 and ended after two police officers were executed in southeastern Şanlıurfa province in June 2015.
Kılıçdaroğlu added that the Kurdish issue could be resolved through political and societal consensus at the Turkish parliament and not “behind closed doors,” since it is not only a concern for Kurdish citizens but also a common issue for all of Turkey.
Over the past years Kılıçdaroğlu has expressed his desire to resolve the Kurdish issue multiple times, criticizing the ruling AKP for conducting direct talks with Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey and much of the international community.
The CHP leader has argued that a legitimate interlocutor such as the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) – parliament’s second-largest opposition group – is needed to solve the Kurdish issue, instead of Öcalan, who he said was an illegitimate actor.
The so-called Kurdish issue is entrenched in Turkey and is characterized by never-ending clashes between the PKK and Turkish security forces. More than 40,000 people, including 5,500 security force members, have been killed in four decades of fighting between the Turkish state and the PKK.
Jailed Kurdish leader promises to work towards ending armed conflict with PKK
ByTurkish Minute
April 13, 2023
Jailed Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtaş
Jailed Kurdish leader Selahattin Demirtaş, a former co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), has promised to work towards ending the armed conflict in Turkey with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) after the current government led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is no longer in power.
Arrested on Nov. 4, 2016 on terrorism-related charges, Demirtaş has since then remained in prison despite two European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) rulings in 2018 and 2020 that said Demirtaş was imprisoned for “political” reasons and not for “legal” reasons, ordering his “immediate release.”
In a series of tweets Demirtaş accused Erdoğan of feeding on conflict and preventing efforts at peace. He also criticized the government’s crackdown on pro-Kurdish politicians, including imprisoning those who advocated for peace and appointing trustees to their municipalities.
“We could have done this already, but Erdoğan imprisoned those who wanted peace, put them in isolation, tried to close down their parties, appointed trustees to their municipalities, fueled the conflict with provocations and tried to scare the people with the discourse of ‘terror’ to get votes. And they’re still doing this,” Demirtaş tweeted.
Despite these challenges, Demirtaş said peace and tranquillity are possible. However, he warned of persistent provocations and the risk of bloodshed before upcoming elections.
“We will be careful together and we will not be tricked. Please remember, we want peace and democracy. We want to live together equally and fraternally,” he said.
Demirtaş also said the Green Left Party (YSP) would work towards achieving peace as its primary goal.
The YSP is the party under whose banner the HDP decided to run in the parliamentary elections slated for May 14 in a bid to circumvent the risks that could emerge from its possible closure ahead of the elections.
The HDP is facing a closure case on terrorism charges that was filed in March 2021 and could be concluded before the elections since the Constitutional Court, which is hearing the case, has rejected the HDP’s request to delay the verdict until after the elections.
“Trust us, not the liars and frauds who provoke people for votes. We will win together, and we will surely win,” he said.
Demirtaş has been in prison since 2016 on terrorism-related charges, which he denies. His imprisonment has been widely criticized by human rights organizations and Western governments, who see it as politically motivated.
ByTurkish Minute
April 13, 2023
Jailed Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtaş
Jailed Kurdish leader Selahattin Demirtaş, a former co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), has promised to work towards ending the armed conflict in Turkey with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) after the current government led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is no longer in power.
Arrested on Nov. 4, 2016 on terrorism-related charges, Demirtaş has since then remained in prison despite two European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) rulings in 2018 and 2020 that said Demirtaş was imprisoned for “political” reasons and not for “legal” reasons, ordering his “immediate release.”
In a series of tweets Demirtaş accused Erdoğan of feeding on conflict and preventing efforts at peace. He also criticized the government’s crackdown on pro-Kurdish politicians, including imprisoning those who advocated for peace and appointing trustees to their municipalities.
“We could have done this already, but Erdoğan imprisoned those who wanted peace, put them in isolation, tried to close down their parties, appointed trustees to their municipalities, fueled the conflict with provocations and tried to scare the people with the discourse of ‘terror’ to get votes. And they’re still doing this,” Demirtaş tweeted.
Despite these challenges, Demirtaş said peace and tranquillity are possible. However, he warned of persistent provocations and the risk of bloodshed before upcoming elections.
“We will be careful together and we will not be tricked. Please remember, we want peace and democracy. We want to live together equally and fraternally,” he said.
Demirtaş also said the Green Left Party (YSP) would work towards achieving peace as its primary goal.
The YSP is the party under whose banner the HDP decided to run in the parliamentary elections slated for May 14 in a bid to circumvent the risks that could emerge from its possible closure ahead of the elections.
The HDP is facing a closure case on terrorism charges that was filed in March 2021 and could be concluded before the elections since the Constitutional Court, which is hearing the case, has rejected the HDP’s request to delay the verdict until after the elections.
“Trust us, not the liars and frauds who provoke people for votes. We will win together, and we will surely win,” he said.
Demirtaş has been in prison since 2016 on terrorism-related charges, which he denies. His imprisonment has been widely criticized by human rights organizations and Western governments, who see it as politically motivated.
Yavuz: Our goal in Istanbul is to win 20 deputies and double our votes
Speaking about the election work, the Green Left Party Istanbul Election Commission Co-Spokesperson Ramazan Yavuz said: "Our goal in Istanbul is to win 20 deputies and double our votes."
ANF
ISTANBUL
Thursday, 13 Apr 2023
The Green Left Party continues to open its election offices in Istanbul, where it aims at increasing the number of deputies.
Green Left Party Istanbul Election Commission Co-Spokesperson Ramazan Yavuz told ANF about the work and goals of the party in Istanbul.
It is expected that 31,864 ballot boxes will be set up in approximately 1,917 schools in the elections in Istanbul, and the Green Left Party plans to appoint approximately 70,000 observers to these ballot boxes, to assign 4,000 responsible, and to appoint 2,000 lawyers to the schools. The Green Left Party plans to open a total of 150 election offices in Istanbul.
Yavuz stated that the people in Istanbul have got to know the Green Left Party for about a year and a half. “Let me tell you this. As you know, the HDP will not appear on the list. Since it did not enter the election, its logo will not appear on the lists. What will be on the list is the Green Left Party and its logo.”
Yavuz added that ballot boxes will be set up in 191 schools in Istanbul, and that they will work for the security of each ballot box with nearly 70,000 observers throughout the province. He added that they plan to assign a lawyer to each school. The party also prepared a video to explain to observers what to look out for when at the polling stations.
Referring to the attacks against the election offices, Yavuz said that they were even considering monitoring the offices with the camera system and they were discussing how to take precautions for the safety of their officers.
Yavuz stated that they are considering opening an average of 150 election offices, and that they plan to open 2 offices in some districts and 5 in others. However, when they tell landlords that the offices are for the Green Left Party, they encounter exorbitant rents in some places.
Yavuz said: "We always say that Istanbul is the biggest city of Kurdistan, that's why our goal in Istanbul is to win 20 deputies and to double our votes."
Speaking about the election work, the Green Left Party Istanbul Election Commission Co-Spokesperson Ramazan Yavuz said: "Our goal in Istanbul is to win 20 deputies and double our votes."
ANF
ISTANBUL
Thursday, 13 Apr 2023
The Green Left Party continues to open its election offices in Istanbul, where it aims at increasing the number of deputies.
Green Left Party Istanbul Election Commission Co-Spokesperson Ramazan Yavuz told ANF about the work and goals of the party in Istanbul.
It is expected that 31,864 ballot boxes will be set up in approximately 1,917 schools in the elections in Istanbul, and the Green Left Party plans to appoint approximately 70,000 observers to these ballot boxes, to assign 4,000 responsible, and to appoint 2,000 lawyers to the schools. The Green Left Party plans to open a total of 150 election offices in Istanbul.
Yavuz stated that the people in Istanbul have got to know the Green Left Party for about a year and a half. “Let me tell you this. As you know, the HDP will not appear on the list. Since it did not enter the election, its logo will not appear on the lists. What will be on the list is the Green Left Party and its logo.”
Yavuz added that ballot boxes will be set up in 191 schools in Istanbul, and that they will work for the security of each ballot box with nearly 70,000 observers throughout the province. He added that they plan to assign a lawyer to each school. The party also prepared a video to explain to observers what to look out for when at the polling stations.
Referring to the attacks against the election offices, Yavuz said that they were even considering monitoring the offices with the camera system and they were discussing how to take precautions for the safety of their officers.
Yavuz stated that they are considering opening an average of 150 election offices, and that they plan to open 2 offices in some districts and 5 in others. However, when they tell landlords that the offices are for the Green Left Party, they encounter exorbitant rents in some places.
Yavuz said: "We always say that Istanbul is the biggest city of Kurdistan, that's why our goal in Istanbul is to win 20 deputies and to double our votes."
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