Much at stake as court begins debating pro-Kurdish DTP’s fate

A ruling in favor of closure could derail the government’s ambitious democratic initiative, a reform drive to expand rights for Turkey’s Kurds and resolve the decades-old Kurdish issue, and increase political tensions in Turkey, already rocked by days of violent protests by DTP supporters. A decision to ban the DTP would be tantamount to igniting dynamite at the feet of the “bridge of brotherhood,” DTP leader Ahmet Türk warned in remarks yesterday. Tensions flared amid street demonstrations across Turkey by DTP supporters protesting an alleged deterioration in PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan’s prison conditions and following a deadly attack on the gendarmerie on Monday which killed seven soldiers. Türk said the attack was an act of provocation. “Everybody should act with common sense and calm for this pain to end. It is time for grievances to end.”

Türk, in comments about the closure case, said: “The decision is for the court to make. The ruling will affect all of Turkey. No democracy accepts, nor should accept, the closure of a party as a legitimate occurrence.” He also responded to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who accused the DTP of trying to axe the Kurdish initiative process, saying: “Government officials who have failed to take courageous steps regarding the initiative are now blaming our party. I am asking the government, in front of all of you: Do you think you could possibly even talk about an initiative if we, as a party, hadn’t waged the struggle we have put up in the past two and a half years?

Mr. Erdoğan, weren’t you the person who once said ‘those who don’t like [it in Turkey] should leave? It is none other than the Justice and Development Party [AK Party] who had difficulty understanding the problem and the solution to it. The people know this. In short, I want you to know through which dynamics we could have gotten to the point where we are today in the process.” Türk also said the last elections, where the AK Party was defeated by the DTP in most of the Southeast and some of the Kurdish-dominated eastern cities, showed that the Kurdish question needs to be resolved as quickly as possible.

The DTP has said all its members would resign from Parliament if the court rules to expel even one of its deputies, a move that might force interim elections. Further upping the ante, party executives said they would not run in a possible interim poll either, saying the party’s voters want DTP leaders to resign and “take the struggle to mountains,” a reference to joining the PKK’s terrorist campaign.

AK Party Deputy Chairman Abdülkadir Aksu made a statement yesterday against the recent demonstrations. Addressing DTP administrators and deputies, Aksu said: “Joining the PKK is not a solution, that street you are entering is a dead end. Instead of taking up arms, get out of that street before it’s too late.”

He condemned the deaths of the seven soldiers. “Those betrayers who don’t have the heart to face soldiers directly staged a callous attack, an ambush, killing seven of our sons.” He offered his condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers.

He said the terrorists were uncomfortable with every step of progress Turkey made, and wanted to see Turkey stay a backward underdeveloped nation, where they could thrive on chaos. However, he said they would never reach their aims. “Our will to live together in brotherhood will continue to grow. The basis of democracy is peace. Those who are enemies of peace will be given the rightful response.”

He also accused the DTP of basing its policies solely on ethnic identity. “The DTP should understand that politics is to keep people from fighting in arms, from taking to the streets. Asking people to go out onto the streets is not politics.” He said he would expect the DTP to have the experience and wisdom to understand that violence is not a viable method to solve problems. His words come after DTP’s Emine Ayna said the party’s grassroots supporters expected them to join the PKK instead of staying in Parliament. “They can’t show the capacity to conduct politics in Parliament, and they are trying to cover up their weakness with talk of joining terrorists.”

DTP complains of attacks

DTP supporters’ demonstrations have been violent, but the DTP has chosen to complain of attacks against its own supporters. Yesterday, DTP parliamentary group deputy head Gültan Kışanak complained about attacks at party offices. He said in many cities including Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa and İstanbul there have been attacks at DTP buildings. He said DTP members have been physically attacked in the past few days. Kışanak said, “If in a country the general political structure favors condemning a political party, and if the judiciary takes up a case to shut down a party at a time when we have such huge societal problems, I see this as creating an environment that legitimizes such attacks.”

DTP withdraws initiative support

Various DTP officials last week said the government’s plans for a solution to the Kurdish question were over for them due to the Turkish state’s alleged treatment of the PKK’s jailed leader.

The pro-Kurdish party voiced allegations that Öcalan was being treated poorly in his prison cell. Öcalan is serving a life sentence on İmralı, located off the coast of İstanbul. He was the sole inmate until recently, but eight other convicts have now been transferred to the island, and he was placed in a different cell.

Throughout last week there was controversy about the prison conditions for the terrorist leader. Öcalan’s lawyers claimed that a new cell built for Öcalan is six-and-a-half square meters, compared to the old cell’s 12 square meters. The new cell’s window is reportedly quite high and cannot be looked through unassisted.

The Justice Ministry denied the claims in a statement last week. The ministry underlined that the quality of Öcalan’s new cell was much higher than standards set for inmates by the EU and the UN. The ministry also released pictures of the new cell in an attempt to quell tension.

Over the weekend, DTP supporters continued their rallies in eastern and southeastern Turkey, protesting Öcalan’s new cell conditions. On Sunday, protestors clashed with security forces in Diyarbakır and İstanbul. Protestors attacked security forces with stones, and police responded with tear gas and pressurized water.

DTP’s closure case

Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalçınkaya filed charges against the DTP in 2007 requesting the permanent closure of the party. He claimed that DTP members’ actions and statements run counter to the integrity of the state and nation and that the party has become a focal point of these acts.

The indictment against the DTP calls for 219 members, including eight of its deputies -- Türk, Aysel Tuğluk, Sebahat Tuncel, Osman Özçelik, İbrahim Binici, Sevahir Bayındır, Fatma Kurtulan and Ayna -- to be banned from membership in a political party for five years.

One of these 219 individuals mentioned has since died, bringing to light evidence that another person on the list was included by mistake.

The indictment also requested that the DTP be prevented from participating in elections until the case is finalized; that all DTP members, administrators, deputies and mayors be banned from running in elections as independents or representing another party; and that new members not be permitted to join the DTP. However, the Constitutional Court refused to implement those measures in a decision in December 2007, and the DTP was able to run in the local elections in March 2009, in which it won 99 municipalities.

The Constitutional Court in July 2008 was able to reach a verdict on the closure case against the ruling AK Party, which was indicted six months before the DTP, but the AK Party did not request any additional time for its defense. The Constitution requires that at least seven of the 11 members of the Constitutional Court vote for closure before a party can be disbanded.