RESOLUTION OF THE KURDISH ISSUE AND PEACE CONFERENCE
FINAL DECLARATION
20 March 2024
The Kurdish issue is a fact based on the non-recognition of the collective rights of the Kurds, one of the most ancient peoples of the Middle East, as a nation by the sovereign states in the Kurdish geography, and has essentially become an international issue.
When one looks at the political history of the Republic of Turkey, which has the largest Kurdish population in the world within its borders, it is seen that the singularist understanding at its foundation has continued steadily for a century only by transforming its shape. Such understanding has not only entrenched a government behavior based on denial, ignorance and assimilation, especially towards those who do not belong to the dominant Turkish identity, but has also always prevented the democratization of the republic, which was expected to take place in the ordinary course of history. While the history of the republic should be the history of democracy and pluralism since its foundation, it has been a history in which religious and ethnic minorities have been ignored, and democracy has been constantly suspended through single-party governments, military coups, periods of state of emergency and extra-legal judicial practices.
The attitude of the Republic of Turkey based on the suppression of the Kurdish issue through anti-democratic practices instead of a rights-based solution has rendered violence inevitable and brought the issue to this day. The ongoing conflict between the PKK and the Turkish State for nearly 40 years is still continuing with all its painfulness. Although there have been some attempts by the state from time to time to resolve the Kurdish issue, no realistic policies have been put forward. Finally, although the conflicts stopped and a partial relaxation was observed in the society during the period called the “Resolution Process” between 2013 and 2015, the conflicts that started on 24 July 2015 continue to intensify since mechanisms and legal arrangements similar to the conflict resolution examples in the world were not established in this process. In the intervening 8 years, freedom of expression and assembly, freedom of the press, the rule of law, right to political participation have been seriously damaged and authoritarianism has become entrenched in addition to tens of thousands of casualties as a result of the unresolved conflict. On the one hand, civilian politics has been blocked by the appointment of state trustees to elected offices, detentions and arrests; on the other hand, the PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, whose influence in the solution of the Kurdish issue is recognized by the state, has been prevented from meeting with his family and lawyers and the ground for dialogue has been completely eliminated.
The Human Rights Association identifies the Kurdish issue as a human rights and democracy issue and seeks a solution within this framework. In an environment where peace cannot be achieved, there can be no talk of human rights and the existence of democracy will not be possible. In terms of the Republic of Turkey, İHD sees the most urgent necessity for reconciliation, democratization and becoming a state based on human rights in the presentation of a participatory, effective and solution-oriented political perspective on the resolution of the Kurdish issue. It is known that peace is a long and challenging process, but it is also possible and necessary for everyone.
The Human Rights Association, which has been defending the right to peace since the day it was founded, conducts rights-based works on the resolution of the Kurdish issue and shares the results of these works with all interlocutors and stakeholders. In this context, the “Resolution of the Kurdish Issue and Peace Conference”, which we organized and completed the sessions phase, is the most recent work carried out by İHD on peace. The Peace Conference was organized in order to determine the damage caused to society by the insistence on the stalemate in the Kurdish issue at the current stage, to raise political awareness on this issue and to generate ideas for a solution. In this context, many academics, writers, members of civil society organizations, rights defenders, journalists and politicians were brought together to create a perspective on the democratic resolution of the Kurdish issue. While preparing the content and program of the conference; the reasons for the failure of resolution attempts to date, the roles that different segments of society can play in a possible solution process, the representation of women in peace studies, the responsibilities of political parties regarding a resolution, the importance of civil society in peace and world experiences in conflict resolution were emphasized.
The Peace Conference we held in Diyarbakır on 16 and 17 March 2024 was met with great interest by the public and the press as a manifestation of the longing for peace. During the conference, which consisted of a total of 6 sessions on the solution of the Kurdish issue and peace,, discussions were focused on the following topics in particular:
- Similarities and differences between the Kurdish issue and conflict resolution experiences around the world,
- The importance of the participation of women, civil society and religious groups in a possible peace process,
- The struggle for peace must continue under all circumstances and conditions,
- The ongoing isolation of Abdullah Öcalan, an important actor in the resolution of the Kurdish issue,
- The importance of unity and dialogue between different sections of the Kurds,
- Mistakes and policies that have hampered resolution initiatives,
- Kurdish and opposition politicians are prevented from practicing politics through judicial and de facto practices,
- The importance of dialogue between the parties, even in times of conflict,
- The value of the Kurdish language in relation to the Kurdish Question,
- The link between the Kurdish issue and Turkish democracy,
- The current situation regarding the Kurdish issue in regions outside Turkey,
- Urgent steps that political parties can take towards a solution,
- Policies of violence that feed the lack of a solution.
Within this framework, the problems that cause the failure to achieve peace on the Kurdish issue were identified as follows:
- The inability of political parties to create a ground for dialog regarding the solution of the Kurdish issue,
- Insistence on the use of military methods and pro-security approaches in the Kurdish issue,
- The obstructive effect of the politics of violence in creating a basis for peace,
- The isolation policies that prevent Abdullah Öcalan an important actor in the resolution of the Kurdish issue, from participating in the process,
- For the ruling parties, the solution of the age-old Kurdish issue is preferred to short-term political interests,
- Acting on initiatives for a solution without preliminary preparations and without a legal framework,
- Discourses that feed violence become commonplace and determine current politics,
- Ignoring the human rights perspective alongside the political dimension of the Kurdish issue,
- Civil society’s failures in participation to the demands for peace.
In this context, as a result of the intensive debates and exchanges that took place during all the sessions of the conference, the following recommendations for the resolution of the Kurdish issue and the establishment of an environment of peace have thus been listed below:
- Obstacles to fundamental rights and freedoms, especially freedom of expression, should be removed in order to create an environment of free debate on the Kurdish issue.
- A mechanism of dialogue should be established to enable negotiations between the parties to the conflict and a state of non-conflict should be established to ensure lasting peace.
- Political parties should set forth an intention and program for the solution of the Kurdish issue.
- Isolation policies should be ended In order for Abdullah Öcalan to be included in the process.
- A pluralist, inclusive and civilian Constitution based on human rights should be put on the agenda as a matter of urgency and its role in building social consensus should be reinforced.
- Practices that deny Kurds the right to vote, to be elected and to be represented must be ended.
- The obstacles preventing civil society organizations and bar associations from taking an active role in the solution should be removed; new and comprehensive activities on peace, such as the Peace Conference, should be carried out.
- To resolve the Kurdish issue through democratic methods, the obstacles preventing Kurdish and opposition politicians from practicing politics must be removed and the way for civilian politics must be paved.
- All obstacles to the use of the Kurdish language in all areas of life should be removed, and the importance of the Kurdish language in the context of the Kurdish issue should be taken into consideration.
- Conflict resolution experiences from around the world should be utilized in the resolution of the Kurdish issue, Turkey’s initiatives and experiences on resolution should be reviewed and mechanisms and legal frameworks appropriate to the specific conditions should be established.
- Equal representation of women should be ensured in all efforts for peace, and obstacles to women’s participation in the process should be removed.
- International solidarity between war-torn societies should be strengthened.
The Human Rights Association regards the recommendations of the Final Declaration of the Peace Conference as a call to the interlocutors at the same time; with the emphasis that human rights can only be possible in an environment of peace. We declare that our efforts for peace and resolution will continue.
PEACE RIGHT NOW!
Human Rights Association