DERSIM - Citizens of Dersim, stating that the commission must meet with Abdullah Öcalan as soon as possible for the process to proceed smoothly, called on the state to take concrete steps. 

 

In the context of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan's 27 February Call for Peace and a Democratic Society, the Kurdish Freedom Movement continues to take concrete steps. Most recently, an announcement made in Qandil on 26 October stated that guerrilla forces had begun to withdraw completely from Turkey and Kurdistan. Following this historic step, all eyes turned to the concrete steps that the state and the government would take. 

 

Citizens we spoke to in Dêrsim wanted the state to fulfil the requirements of the process.

 

Hüseyin Ercan emphasised that they want peace and that steps must be taken to achieve this. Stating that the kayyıms (trustees) appointed in place of the mayors elected by the will of the people must leave immediately. "The trustees must be removed immediately. It is unclear whose hand is in whose pocket. I believe in peace, peace will definitely come, but for this to happen, Tayyip Erdoğan must take steps. Everyone is in favour of peace, and if the process goes well, there will be peace by spring,” he said.  

 

Haydar Ozan said that everyone wants peace and that what is necessary for peace must be done:  “Steps must be taken, and the first step is to release the politicians in prison.”

 

Nurettin Sayman said: "The perpetrators of the unknown crimes and the suffering this region has endured in the past must be held accountable. What we see today is only called a peace process; no steps have been taken towards it. The Kurdish people have experienced so much injustice. No steps have been taken for this. For true peace to be established, lessons must be learned from the past and these must be laid out on the table. How can we talk about peace when kayyıms have been appointed and there is no environment where people can express themselves and speak freely? Many human rights defenders are in prison. For peace to be possible, all of them must be released and have the right to speak freely.”

 

Ayten Gürbüz said that everyone suffered greatly and shed tears during the war and expressed that peace must come as soon as possible so that the same suffering is not repeated.

 

Müslüm Aykut said: "In the last peace process, people were buried under buildings. No one was held accountable for this. Peace can only be achieved with seriousness, and this requires confronting society. The destiny of this society and this geography has always been troubled and has come at a price. There have been Maraş, Sivas, and Gaziantep. To prevent this from happening again, everyone must confront everyone else. Society and the grassroots must be confronted." 

 

EMPHASIS ON THE LANGUAGE OF PEACE 

 

Ali Göner said that democracy must function for peace: “Political prisoners must be released from prison. The state must take steps. We have no hope because no steps have been taken.” 

 

Fethi Kathurman said: “We become hopeless when we look at the language used in the media. Their language is not the language of peace. The commission established for peace must definitely meet with Abdullah Öcalan. You can't hold one side hostage and sit at the table with the other.  The freedom of the parties is a prerequisite.” 

 

Remziye Erdoğan said that people not dying is worth the price to the world: “Peace must be achieved as soon as possible. Everyone, no matter which side they are on, needs to be sensitive. As long as this peace is achieved. We haven't seen a single step so far.”