The Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları spoke at the ‘Democracy and Freedom Rally’ organised by the Platform of Democratic Institutions in Batman. She started her speech by remembering Edip Solmaz (who was assassinated on 12 November 1979 after 28 days as mayor). Hatimoğulları pointed out that those who murdered Edip Solmaz are now appointing trustees to municipalities and called those who appoint trustees ‘coup plotters’.

'We will continue to struggle shoulder to shoulder against fascism'

Hatimoğulları stated that the Kurdish people's right to elect and be elected was taken away from them, and that the current administration cannot be democracy. “The name of this administration can only be fascism. We will continue to struggle shoulder to shoulder against fascism. The trustee of Batman says that Turks and Kurds share the same fate and have the same hopes. This is a lie, the people of Batman are here. You cannot represent their hope and understanding of brotherhood. You are a trustee, you are a thief, you were forced into the municipality under the wing of police shields. Although trustees have been appointed to our municipalities after every election, the people have come to this day by doubling their votes and increasing the number of municipalities. And this was realised through the joint struggle of you; the Kurdish people and other peoples.

‘We are on the side of honourable peace’

Hatimoğulları mentioned the recent discussions on a possible process of talks with Öcalan and said: “All of Turkey is now talking about and discussing this question. There are various developments that started with a handshake and we do not know exactly what they want. As the DEM Party, Kurdish people and the peoples of Turkey, we are, of course, on the side of honourable peace. We have been fighting for peace for more than 40 years. We have fought for justice and democracy to come to this country, for brotherhood and equality between the peoples.”

‘We have expressed our readiness for an honourable peace’

Referring to the attacks against Kurds, Hatimoğulları stated: “They tried to crush the heads of Kurds every time. They tried to crush the heads of the revolutionaries in Turkey who were in solidarity with the Kurdish people. But they failed. You, our valuable people, show them in this square that they have failed. From here we address Ankara; we have expressed our readiness for an honourable peace, for a solution on democratic grounds at every opportunity, everywhere. We have said that if you are not playing games, if you are not mocking the people's hopes, if you are serious, if you are to act with the seriousness of a state, first of all open the doors of Imrali, let Mr. Öcalan come out and give his message to the whole Middle East. If the partner of the government is serious about the messages it is giving to the public, it should first put its ministries into action and open the doors of Imrali wide open. Let Mr Öcalan come out and deliver his messages of peace to the Kurdish people, the people of the Middle East.”

'This is not brotherhood'

The DEM Party Co-Chair continued: “Erdoğan is not speaking. He is the one in the seat of power. It is the AKP government and the president who are the executive authority. If they have solutions to this issue, they should speak and announce a programme. He himself has not spoken until today. Instead, his advisors and spokespersons speak. They say that the trusteeship is a ‘fight against terrorism’ but it is them who are doing the real ‘terror’. Gülistan Sönük was elected by the people of Batman with 65 percent of the vote, the highest in Turkey, but they appointed a trustee in her place and call this ‘fight against terrorism’, while they, on the other hand, say that ‘The Kurds are our brothers’. This is not brotherhood. They say ‘we are brothers with Kurds’, but they list red lines. This red line does not include Kurds, different peoples and beliefs. This red line includes the centuries-old understanding of denial and extermination, monism. They talk about brotherhood, but only on condition that the Kurds should not have a name and an identity, that they should not speak Kurdish and not demand education in the mother tongue. Is such brotherhood possible? The answer is not given by us, but by our valuable people in the fields. Let the palace hear it, let Ankara hear it. Let the partners of the government hear it.

Again, the same spokespersons say that the DEM Party is pushing a peace process away. This is a total lie. Every time we talked, no matter who spoke on behalf of our party, we said ‘We are ready for an honourable peace’. We said we were ready for a solution on democratic grounds together. The government must decide this. The state must decide if it is a hand of peace that is being outstretched. If so, we are ready to hold that hand. If not, we are ready to wage an honourable struggle against that hand together with our peoples as we have done until today. We would then wage the strongest struggle against them.

‘We are ready for both negotiation and struggle’

Those who say ‘Kurds are our brothers’ are working on two laws. More precisely, they are preparing a law with two agendas. One is about parliamentary elections and the other is about municipal elections. They want to ban others from the beginning. This cannot be the hand of peace. Together with our peoples, we once again appeal to the state mind and the government. We want an honorable peace. Kurdish people demand the right to education in their mother tongue. The Kurdish people want a negotiation and dialogue process to develop on democratic grounds. Are you, as the state mind and the government, ready for this? The people of Kurdistan, especially the people of Batman, and the people of Turkey are waiting for the answer. We have given our message at every opportunity; we are ready for both negotiation and struggle.

We are the ones who say ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’

Hatimoğulları continued: “This government persecutes women the most. They do not tolerate the presence of women in politics or in the public sphere. We have personally experienced the effects of Hezbollah on this issue during this election process in Batman. Still, the people of Batman embraced their party with great honour and elected our party's candidate. These anti-democratic practices, especially the appointment of trustees, are a stance against the representation of women everywhere. They did not accept our purple line of co-presidency and equal representation. They do not accept women playing an active role in politics. They say, ‘What are you doing in politics, go home!’. However, we women are the ones who say ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ (Woman, Life, Freedom).”