The Peoples’ Democracy and Equality Party (DEM Party) İmralı Delegation consisting of Sırrı Süreyya Önder, Pervin Buldan and Ahmet Türk met with Selahattin Demirtaş, former co-chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), who is imprisoned in Edirne F Type Prison in western Turkey.

A statement published on the social media account of Selahattin Demirtaş after the meeting said the following:

“Dear Brothers and Sisters, I convey my heartfelt greetings and love to everyone on the occasion of the visit by our DEM Party İmralı Delegation. I express my thanks to our delegation, which continues its work with great sacrifice and seriousness, and I would like to express my full trust and support to them, to our DEM Party, and especially to Mr Abdullah Öcalan, who is making great efforts for democratic solution and peace on the İmralı Isolation Island.

As the most sensitive issue in this period is public support, transparency is extremely important and necessary. It is valuable that our delegation has informed the political parties in the Parliament as a requirement of transparency and will inform civil society organisations, political and social circles in the coming days. It is also important that the language of peace prevails in all circles. Everyone who speaks on these issues should stay away from the language of threats, blackmail, humiliation and provocative discourse, and instead of creating empty and meaningless rhetoric based on triumph and defeat, they should focus on a common future where everyone, all of us, will win.

Although a name for the process is insistently avoided, from our point of view, this process is the process of ‘Democratisation, Peace and Fraternity. As actors engaged in politics on democratic and peaceful grounds, we desire, demand and support a permanent end to conflicts and violence. We state that we will stand with Mr Öcalan if he is to take initiative in this regard when the conditions arise. Of course, the entire initiative of a possible call lies with him. As he himself also stated, the responsibility of creating the legal and political basis for such a call lies with the government and parliament. We can offer all kinds of support to peace initiatives at this stage. However, we are neither the ones who will make the call nor the interlocutor of a possible call. As politicians, our role and mission is to strengthen the ground for peace, to encourage and urge the parties for peace and to facilitate peace. But even more than that, our fundamental responsibility is to expand the peaceful, civil, political struggle for democracy, freedoms, equality, justice and fundamental human rights. The channels and opportunities for this struggle must be opened now so that the ground for peace can be strengthened. We would like to bring this matter to the attention of those concerned.

Everyone should know that there are some good intentions and preparations carried out with these good intentions. However, in order for the process to shape in flesh and bones, reassuring concrete steps need to be taken quickly. We are ready to provide all kinds of support for the elimination of the conflicts that have caused unspeakable suffering in these lands for years and consumed all the energy of the country, and for the establishment of a political peace.

However, political peace will only be lasting and in the interest of everyone and the country if it is accompanied by social peace, in other words, if it is done in a way that opens all channels for the struggle for democratisation, equality, justice and freedoms. In this way, social support for political peace will also increase, and all provocations and attempts to undermine it will come to naught as the majority of the people embrace it.

In this critical and historic period, I would like to express my gratitude and support to the President of the Republic, Mr. Devlet Bahçeli, Mr. Özgür Özel and all other party leaders for the initiatives they have taken and will take for peace. Beyond any personal and party interests, I will unhesitatingly stand by every step to be taken to strengthen democracy.

Last but not least, I would like to emphasise that most Kurds are oriented towards Turkey. If peace and a strong democracy can be built, I believe that we will emerge from this process as winners together. For this, I hope and wish that the state of the Republic of Turkey will also turn its direction and face towards all Kurds and ensure the construction of a great and honourable peace.

I would like to thank our delegation once again and send my warm greetings and love to all of you with my wishes for success.

Selahattin Demirtaş 11 January 2025 Edirne Prison."