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Southeastern civil society up in arms against PKK violence
The Justice and Solution Initiative, a platform that was founded as a project of the Diyarbakır Bar Association and comprises 90 local NGOs, announced a joint declaration late on Friday calling on the PKK to immediately lay down its arms. Speaking on behalf of the platform, Diyarbakır Bar Association head Emin Aktar said violence leaves problems unsolved and incites hatred among people.
Stating that the recent spate of violence has claimed the lives of many people in Turkey, Aktar said Turkey’s 30-year experience with the Kurdish issue has shown that violence cannot bring a solution. “Violence has promoted nationalism and incited hatred among people and makes the Kurdish issue more difficult to solve. Turkey should immediately move away from the environment of clashes in order to truly debate the Kurdish issue and find appropriate solutions to it.
The PKK should end its attacks, and [military] operations against terrorists should be ended,” Aktar said. He stressed that every action targeting human life is unacceptable and unjust.
Tension and violence escalated in Turkey recently after outlawed PKK terrorists attacked dozens of military personnel and civilians, bringing terrorism to the top of the country’s agenda.
Stating that the democratic initiative launched last summer by the government to address the Kurdish issue raised expectations among the public for a solution to the problems, Aktar said recent developments have shown that the government needs to take concrete steps as part of the initiative in the short and the long term.
During his speech Aktar also directed heavy criticism at the opposition parties, accusing them of failing to work for peace. “Opposition parties’ proposal of methods which have been used for the past 30 years to no avail are unacceptable,” Aktar said. He was in particular referring to Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, who last week called on the government to declare an Emergency Rule Region (OHAL) in the Southeast.
OHAL was declared in the Southeast against terrorism in 1987 and remained in place throughout the ‘90s. It was imposed in 11 provinces almost two years after the start of the terrorist attacks by the PKK, and was abolished in 2002.
38 Mardin NGOs slam PKK terrorism
 Civil Servants’ Trade Union’s (Memur-Sen) Mardin branch head Mustafa Aydın read the statement on behalf of the group. |
Thirty-eight civil society organizations in Mardin province came together under the umbrella of the Mardin Civil Society Organizations Platform and also jointly called on the PKK on Saturday, urging it to stop resorting to violence.
Civil Servants’ Trade Union’s (Memur-Sen) Mardin branch head Mustafa Aydın read the statement on behalf of the group. “Violence should no longer be seen as a way of claiming people’s rights. More violence and more [military] operations cannot solve this issue. We are saying ‘stop’ to a process that victimizes everybody and fosters blood feuds among people,” he said.
Among the NGOs that supported the declaration were the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association (MÜSİAD), the Young Businessmen’s Association of Mardin, Memur-Sen and the Anatolian Youth Association (AGD).
stressed during his speech that it cannot be a coincidence that the recent spike in terrorist attacks comes at a time when a referendum on the government’s constitutional reform package is drawing near and when Turkey has taken unprecedented steps in foreign policy. He also urged the government to move forward with its democratic initiative and to take more concrete steps, adding that the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals should be strengthened. “This dark atmosphere, which would axe tourism, trade, investments and peace in the region, should be immediately cleared. We will not be a scene of dark scenarios again. Our nation is strong enough to overcome this chaos,” he added.
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