KCK, liberals and a parting of the ways

There definitely must be complete justice in terms of custody and arrests. Arrests that lack sound and concrete evidence are against human rights and harm the core of the case. However, here is a question: Won’t announcing that the judiciary has erred when the case involves certain people cause a weakness in the struggle against terrorism?

It seems that the KCK investigation brought conservative democrat and liberal democrat intellectuals who had backed each other so far in terms of the Kurdish issue to a breaking point.

The break first started when some liberals criticized arrests in the context of the KCK investigation, while they ignored the escalating violence of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). That caused a disturbance resembling the one resulting from the fact that the deputies of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) only went to the houses of dead terrorists to give their condolences. We do not have a word for friends who are fair and reasonable about this issue. They evidently state that murdering innocent people is not a way to defend the Kurdish cause. However, it is time to question the fairness of targeting the government and the court without considering the other side of the issue.

Secondly, some liberal democrat intellectuals argue that the KCK is a political organization. Referring to the freedom of thought and expression, they oppose the arrest of KCK members who are only involved in politics. However, they are not convincing because what we are facing is an organization that defends violence and racism. While I can say this I am not referring to the indictment, instead I am quoting from the statement of Cengiz Çandar that were included in the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) report released at the end of last June. The statement is as follows:

“Although the Turkish media largely mentioned and still mentions the KCK as the “urban association of the PKK” that is not the definition of the KCK. KCK stands for “Koma Civaken Kurdistan,” which means “Association of Kurdish Societies.” The KCK is found within the democratic confederationalism principle of Abdullah Öcalan by re-organizing the PKK. The concept of democratic confederationalism developed by Öcalan is suggested both as an alternative to nation-state and as a model for the solution to problems in the Middle East. In these terms, the KCK is an executive organ within which the parties and organizations, including the PKK and others that are associated with the PKK in other regions populated by Kurds (Iraq, Syria, Iran) are coordinated. The idea of the KCK came out of the context of the fifth KONGRA-GEL (public congress) that was held at Kandil in May 2007. A total of 213 people who represented Kurds residing in Turkey, Iran, Syria, Iraq and other countries attended this congress. The status of Abdullah Öcalan was decided to be the “head of the KCK.” They also decided to gather an “executive council” that would consist of one manager and 30 members who will work on the council for two years. The manager of the KCK executive council is Murat Karayılan now.”

Let’s ask Hasan Cemal on behalf of others: What is the KCK? What is the PKK? They are both headed by “leader Öcalan.” The leader of PKK members deployed in the mountains and the manager of the executive council is Murat Karayılan. While the PKK raids Çukurca and martyrs 24 Turkish soldiers, what kind of a freedom of thought and expression is it that Murat Karayılan is defending?

We are now facing a group of murderers with blood on their hands that slaughters babies and children by assigning women as suicide bombers. They have already stopped defending the freedom of the Kurdish people. We are facing men obsessed with the dream of an autocratic regime called “autonomous Kurdistan,” which they will govern as they wish by means of quasi-parliaments. Actually, they will control our 24 provinces located in the East and Southeast by means of party commissars. If they care about the future of our Kurdish citizens, why on earth are they killing Kurds? There is no way to understand tolerating an organization that uses terrorism and violence to oppress and frighten people and that is supported by those who are bothered by the growth of Turkey.

Yes to freedom of thought and expression! However, no to terrorism that targets innocent people, bases its ideas on racism and appeals only to violence. The KCK investigation must be considered in a more reasonable and fair way.