AMED - Watching the ceremony of the Peace and Democratic Society Group, Huseyin Kucukbalaban, Co-Chair of the Human Rights Association (İHD), said, “The state has no more excuse,” and listed the steps that need to be taken.
The Peace and Democratic Society Group, which gathered in Şikefta Casenê (Jasana Cave) in the countryside of Silêmanî (Sulaymaniyah) at the call of Kurdish Leader Abdullah Ocalan, destroyed their weapons and opened the door to a new phase in the “Peace and Democratic Society Process”. Many people from political parties, civil society and legal organisations attended the ceremony.
RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STATE
Huseyin Kucukbalaban, Co-Chair of the Human Rights Association (İHD), who was among those attending the ceremony, said that they were witnessing a historic day and that this situation imposed a responsibility on them. Kucukbalaban pointed out that there was no precedent for this step in the world and emphasised that the PKK had taken a serious step.
Kucukbalaban pointed out that the weapons inventory list had been handed over to the Human Rights Association (IHD), the Lawyers for Freedom Association (OHD) and the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TIHV), saying: “Even though such a role has not yet been formalised, we have been assigned the role of encouraging the parties to engage in constructive persuasion when problems arise between them. In the next steps of the process, more NGOs could be allowed to be observe the process.”
STEPS THAT NEED TO BE TAKEN
Kucukbalaban emphasised that the state must take concrete and democratic steps to completely remove weapons from circulation. He listed the steps that need to be taken as follows: “The state must first release ill prisoners. It must improve Abdullah Ocalan’s conditions. NGOs are still unable to visit. His family and lawyer are unable to visit him regularly. There is also the issue of prisoners who have been detained for 30 years not being released. Steps must be taken to facilitate the release of political prisoners. The Anti-Terrorism Law must be abolished immediately. Of course, the Kuridsh issue is not limited to these. The language, culture and identity rights of the Kurds must also be constitutionally guaranteed.”
Stressing the need for confrontation on the issues of truth and justice, Kucukbalaban said: “The mechanisms for this must be established, commissions must be set up, and NGOs must be included in this. Kucukbalaban said Abdullah Ocalan and the PKK have gained the trust of society with the steps they have taken so far: “These weapons are the result of this issue. We are removing the weapons from circulation. Now no one has no more excuses, the state has no more excuses.”
MA / Mujdat Can