Final Declaration of the Conference “The Way to Peace: Memory and Justice”
21-22 June 2025, Diyarbakır
INTRODUCTION
The conference, entitled “The Way to Peace: Memory and Justice,” organized by the headquarters of the Human Rights Association (İHD) and hosted by its Diyarbakır branch, took place on June 21-22, 2025; the conference addressed grave human rights violations and social damage caused by the years-long conflict process in the context of the Kurdish issue, as well as the need for justice.
The opening speeches of the conference were delivered by Eren Keskin and Hüseyin Küçükbalaban, the co-chairs of the Association. They summarized the works and activities that have been implemented so far by the İHD and presented the purpose of the conference. Additionally, Vivet Alevi, a Non-Violent Communication volunteer, emphasized the importance of dialogue and listening-based approaches.
The conference was held with the participation of citizens affected by the process of conflict, many civil society organisations working in various specific areas of rights, chambers, researchers, human rights defenders and academics. Such a broad spectrum of participation has not only strengthened its quality of evaluation but also highlighted recommendations that could contribute to peace.
DAY 1: TESTIMONIES AND MEMORY
The first day of the Conference commenced with the testimonies of the citizens who directly affected by conflicts. Testimonies on human rights violations caused by murders by unknown assailants, forced disappearances, village evictions, curfews and military operations were shared during the day and all these testimonies revealed that the need for justice has still not been met.
One of the most important aspects of this part of the conference that needs to be underlined has been the messages sent by Uğur Kaymaz and Eren Bülbül’s mothers to the Conference. These messages are of utmost importance in terms of establishing a connection among the suffering experienced by different social circles and asking for a common demand for peace.
Among the common themes emphasized in the testimonies were impunity, the state’s avoidance of taking responsibility, the failure to confront the past, and resulting reinforcement of a sense of mistrust in society. Participants have stated that peace would not be persuasive and sustainable in an atmosphere where the past is not discussed, recognised and redeemed. However, despite these deficiencies, with the demand for peace and the belief in the establishment of peace, statements came to the fore that everyone should take their responsibility.
DAY 2: ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY
On the second day of the Conference, civil society organisations shared their experiences as well as their proposals for the solution of the issues discussed. Participants from various fields such as women’s organizations, legal associations, ecology movements, professional chambers, LGBTI+ organizations and defenders of freedom of expression took part in these sessions.
Deficiencies of the previous peace process experiences were discussed, and the critics regarding the centralist and self-enclosed current process and inadequate involvement of the civil society in the process were come to the fore.
The participants stated that peace cannot be achieved merely by the silence of the guns, but rather through the establishment of justice, recognition of equal rights, strengthening of memory, and the participation of women and different social sectors in the process. In this context, it was underlined that civil society should not be only the supporter of peace but also an active component of it, with its knowledge and experience.
PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED IN THE CONFERENCE
- Lack of truth and confrontation: Policy of impunity persists, there has been no official accountability for the violations of rights occured in the past.
- Continuation of security-oriented policies: Despite the ongoing process, security-oriented policies and military operations that have not yet been completely renounced are one of the main obstacles to the social reconciliation.
- Exclusion of civil society: Civil society organisations, which have knowledge, experience and archives, are not included enough in the ongoing process.
- Representation of women, youth and different identity groups is weak: Negotiation processes are often limited to narrow and male-dominant circles. The lack of a women’s perspective, in particular, has the consequence of disrupting such processes
- Failure to record social memory: Failure to document testimonies obstructs the way to confront the past.
- Failure to use the language of peace: The political power and especially media organisations close to it, use a discourse far from the language of peace and this undermines the public’s trust in the process.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- In order to ensure a lasting social reconciliation, meetings should be organized in which all social segments affected by the conflict process are represented, and efforts should be made to ensure that social groups referred to as “counter-neighborhoods” understand each other.
- The parliament must immediately take the responsibility for releasing sick and political prisoners, as this is a consequence of the lack of a resolution to the Kurdish issue. Furthermore, practices that violate the principle of equality in penal legislation, particularly in the Anti-Terror Law and the Execution Law must be eliminated.
- The release of public officials detained by the PKK will contribute to the healthy progress of the process.
- Judgments by the ECtHR and the Constitutional Court that Turkey violated rights should be implemented without delay, and the right to a fair trial should be ensured in accordance with the principle of legal security.
- Civil society actors should be adopted as interlocutors and their active participation in the process should be ensured. Civil society organisations should also contribute to the establishment of a lasting peace through carrying out activities that align with their peace-building responsibility.
- Independent truth commissions should be established; state archives should be opened to researchers; victim testimonies should be documented.
- The necessary conditions for the return of citizens who cannot return to their villages should be ensured.
- Public laborers dismissed by decree laws should be reinstated and legal security should be ensured.
- Equal participation of women in peace processes should be guaranteed.
- The Diyarbakır Prison No. 5 Memory Museum should be completed and opened to the public as soon as possible.
- Mother tongue and cultural rights should be constitutionally guaranteed; principle of equal citizenship should be taken as a basis.
- Decisions to appoint trustees, which violate the right to vote and stand for election, should be nullified and elected mayors should be reinstated.
CONCLUSION AND ASSESMENT
“The Way to Peace: Memory and Justice” Conference, has had a significant function both in terms of providing a retrospective assessment and creating a substantial roadmap for civil society for the future. Additionally, the testimonies of the victims’ relatives have once again made visible the need for a new social ground on the axis of truth and justice.
Contributions from different fields during the conference have indicated that peace is a social issue as well as a political issue. The wide range of participation and diversity of opinions expressed demonstrate that discussions on conflict-resolution should be carried out on the basis of pluralism. As a civil society organization that has defended the right to peace since its foundation and carried out activities to establish the right to live in peace, the Human Rights Association is ready today, as it was before, to struggle for peace with all its experience and archives. We believe that peace can only be built with shared responsibility and social embracement; we call on all parties and civil society to take responsibility with courage and determination to strengthen this process.
HUMAN RIGHTS ASSOCIATION