Democratic Society Congress (DTK) Co-chair Leyla Güven spoke to ANF about cultural values being targeted through the trustees appointed to Amed.

After the trustee administration attempted to take down the Cegerxwîn Youth, Cultural and Arts Center signs, the Park Orman park was renamed as “July 15 Martyrs Park”. Democratic Society Congress Co-chair Leyla Güven protested this cultural genocide by government’s hands and said she considers these practices implemented back to back as part of the “Collapse Plan” laid out in the 2014 National Security Council (MGK) meeting.

Güven stated that the AKP has been trying to eliminate Kurdish politics from the democratic arena for a long time now and stressed that the trustees appointed to Kurdistan are not exempt from this practice either. Güven pointed out that the trustees wish to implement the ISIS mindset and added that they removed Tahir Elçi’s name, tore down the Roboski Monument, disrespected the Ehmedê Xani bust, and removed Uğur Kaymaz’s bust before.

“IT’S NOT IN SIGNS BUT IN MEMORIES”

Güven said: “Whatever they do, the Kurds always have a fresh memory, they won’t forget Roboski, Cegerxwîn or Ehmedê Xani. Kurds will carry on their values under any circumstances. Cegerxwîn’s name is seared into the memory for Kurds, whether his name is on that sign or not, and he will never be removed from the hearts of people.”

UNLAWFULNESS WILL BE TAKEN TO THE ECHR

Güven said they will take the disrespect and unlawfulness against the Kurdish people to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Güven said this destructive mindset will be put on trial for sure and stressed that the cultural values Kurds paid great prices to protect can’t be destroyed by trustees. Stating that the AKP has suffered a great defeat both in war and in the international arena and that they are trying to survive by attacking the values of Kurds, Güven said: “This is an effort in vain. The Kurdish people will defend their values under any circumstances. The AKP’s end is near now, and the peoples of Turkey will definitely make them answer for it.”

CULTURAL DESTRUCTION DISGUISED AS JULY 15

Güven also protested the coup attempt being used as a cover for the cultural looting. She stressed that July 15 is a coup attempt the AKP used for their own interests and stated that July 15 was used as an excuse to fire hundreds of thousands of people from their jobs, appoint trustees to municipalities and implement through statutory decrees (KHKs) what the AKP failed to achieve through the parliament in 15 years of government. Güven said: “If the government is truly fighting FETÖ, then they must stop repeating the same attacks as massacrist FETÖ-member generals.” DTK Co-chair stressed that the Kurdish people will defend their will to the end, whatever the price may be, and said: “They may have taken over the municipalities today with their trustees, but this people has the strength to take back their municipalities in the next election and reopen the shuttered institutions. Nobody has gifted anything to the Kurds in history, the Kurds have always achieved every right they have through strife and high prices paid.”

“JULY 15 IS A FIGHT FOR POWER BETWEEN FETÖ AND THE AKP”

Güven also spoke about the anniversary of the coup attempt and stressed that July 15 happened as a result of the fight for power between FETÖ and the AKP. “The cost of that can’t be billed to the Kurdish people, workers and the opposition,” she said, and continued: “We lived through coups before, and in this sense, July 15 is not a coup but a counter-coup. If an opposition leader has to resort to marching hundreds of kilometers with a sign that reads ‘justice’, there is no government, no democracy and no rule of law left in Turkey, they have all been usurped by those who claim they are the victims of a coup.”