The symbolic move, which some call a gesture toward the government while others say it was intended to force the government's hand, was initiated after Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the terrorist PKK, who is serving life in prison on İmrali Island, urged the PKK last week to send what he described as “peace groups” to surrender to the Turkish authorities.
Öcalan asked that two groups, one from Europe and the other from northern Iraq, surrender. The latter includes people, some of them children, from the Makhmour refugee camp. The group from northern Iraq is expected to arrive at the Habur border gate on Monday morning, but the timing of the arrival of the group from Europe is not yet clear. Most of the nearly 10,000 inhabitants of the Makhmour refugee camp left Turkey in 1994, but some of them were born at the camp. Ankara claims that the Makhmour camp serves as a safe haven for the PKK, although it is under the control of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) . According to PKK-affiliated media organizations, 26 persons, four of them children, from Makhmour refugee camp will arrive in Turkey today.
Lawyer Muharrem Erbey, head of the Diyarbakır branch of the Human Rights Association (İHD), told Today's Zaman that the approach of the authorities toward the surrendering group will be a real test for the sincerity of the government. Erbey recalled that Article 221 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) is known as the “active repentance” law and surrendering persons are usually forced to say that they are regretful and give information about the organization they belonged to.
“Those who will come from Makhmour should be released immediately after the identity checks. But the ones coming from the PKK should not be forced to say that they are regretful; it is important to help them to keep their dignity. Such an approach will prepare the ground for gun-free politics,” he said.
The Turkish government launched an initiative in late July to solve the long-standing Kurdish question, a problem that has cost almost 40,000 lives over the last 30 years. The government has not yet detailed its plan, but officials have frequently underlined that the process aims to make every Turkish citizen an equal and free member of a highly developed democracy.
But some circles, including the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which are both against the initiative, claim that before taking any steps, terrorism should first come to an end and the PKK must surrender.
Treatment will set an example
It is also expected that a group of PKK militants will accompany the group that will surrender. After they are turned over to Turkish prosecutors, the group will be processed and their identities will be verified. The prosecutor might not even send them to court and might order their release based on Article 221 of the TCK.
During the public debate over the democratization initiative, pro-Kurdish circles demanded amnesty, but the government suggested broader implementation of Article 221. This article allows members of any criminal organization who have not been involved in attacks to avoid punishment if they turn themselves in and provide information on the group.
The Taraf daily reported on Sunday that the after the PKK decided to dispatch a group, the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) contacted officials from the Interior Ministry and the officials promised that the surrendering group would be released within four hours of being screened. The newspaper also claimed that a governor will be sent from Ankara to the Habur border gate in Silopi, Şırnak, to monitor the surrendering process.
Öcalan also urged these “peace groups” to discuss the demands of Kurds with different circles in Turkey, including Parliament.
PKK-affiliated media organizations reported on Sunday that the group that will surrender this morning will bring letters for President Abdullah Gül, Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Şahin and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. They will demand to have meetings at Parliament, as well.
DTP involved with surrender
Meanwhile, the DTP is organizing a “welcome ceremony” for the group. Over the weekend, DTP deputies and members of local branches of the party distributed leaflets to people inviting them to participate in this ceremony. The DTP aims to gather 10,000 people at the border gate. The co-chairpersons of the DTP, Ahmet Türk and Emine Ayna, will be present at the gate to receive the surrendering group. Some civil society organizations from the Diyarbakır Democracy Platform, which comprises 43 civil society organizations, including the Diyarbakır Bar Association, workers union and chambers of commerce, will be present at the border gate.
Türk and Ayna in a written statement over the weekend urged the government to benefit from the “peace and solution” opportunity and asked the government not to “repeat the same mistake of 1999.”
In 1999 when Öcalan was captured he also urged a group from the PKK to surrender. At that time, eight PKK members with guns surrendered to Turkish officials, but after their trial they were sentenced to prison for up to 10 years.
“Turkey, at that time, by sending the peace envoys to prison refused the opportunity. After 10 years, Turkey has another important opportunity. We hope that Turkey will not repeat the same mistake of 1999,” Türk and Ayna's statement read.
The co-chairpersons suggested that the PKK decided to dispatch the group in order to show its determination for peace at a time when the government's democratic initiative is facing a deadlock.
“Kurds are very decisive about peace and a solution today, like they were in the past. Send peace groups to Turkey is an expression of this sincerity,” the statement claimed.
Testing the waters
Diyarbakır Bar Association Chairman Emin Aktar underlined that the implementation of Article 221 will be very important, noting that if people are not asked to say that they are regretful, society will be relieved and more people will return from the mountains.
Aktar told Today's Zaman that Öcalan urged the groups on Thursday and the first group will arrive today, which makes him to think that there might be a indirect negotiations.
“I don't have any information about it, but being able to organize in such a short period of time makes me think that there are some negotiations going on, and if that is the case, we can hope that the Monday incident will end without problems. This will mean that the solution will be closer,” he said.
Strategy expert Nihat Ali Özcan from the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) University told Today's Zaman that the PKK tactics aim to shape world and Turkish public opinion.
“They want to gain the support of the world and Turkish public opinion. They are also taking another step forward in the process. It is important what they will ask in return for those people who will come. But such a move is also restricting the government's ability to maneuver because the message behind this surrender is ‘We are ready, what about you?'” he said.
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