Women from various parts of the country gathered in Ankara on Tuesday under the slogan "Act now! Create the legal basis for peace" in front of parliament to send a clear signal for a peaceful and democratic solution to the Kurdish question. They called on parliament to immediately create a legal basis for a lasting and just peace.

The action was organized by the women's initiative “I need peace”. Numerous women from civil society organizations, the Kurdish women's movement, trade unions and political parties made their way to the capital from various cities. The aim was a protest march from Güven Park to the parliament. However, as soon as they arrived at the park, the police blocked the buses in which the participants were sitting and prevented them from getting off. Drivers were put under pressure with the threat of sanctions and some were forced to withdraw their vehicles as a result.

Jin, Jiyan, Azadî!

Despite these restrictions, the women finally managed to gather at the Çankaya entrance of the parliament. They made their demands visible with banners reading “Withdraw the trustees”, “Involve women in peace talks” and “Abolish the anti-terror law”, and slogans such as “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” (Woman, Life, Freedom), “No war, peace now” and “Bijî Serok Apo” (Long live Chairman Apo).

In a joint statement, Feride Eralp from the initiative and Zelal Anğay from the KESK trade union federation emphasized that it was no longer acceptable for peace demands to be criminalized. They stated that the existing policy of violence, repression and trustees was not contributing to a solution, but rather exacerbating social division. Instead, they highlighted the need for a fundamental change: “We demand a legal basis for peace - not tomorrow, but now.”

The focus was on three central demands:

▪ The abolition of the anti-terror law, which serves as the legal basis for numerous arbitrary proceedings against journalists, politicians and activists.

▪ The release of political prisoners and an end to the criminalization of the democratic opposition.

▪ The withdrawal of the trustees from the Kurdish municipalities and the restoration of local democratic structures.

Eralp warned against reducing the demand for peace to individual measures such as the release of prisoners: "The government is trying to narrow the issue of peace down to the question of political prisoners. But peace needs more - it needs justice, participation and equality. Peace processes cannot emerge under conditions of war, military escalation and patriarchal oppression.”

Sharp criticism of ongoing military violence

The activists were particularly critical of the Turkish army's ongoing cross-border occupation operations in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Despite the recently announced self-dissolution of the PKK, the Turkish government has not stopped its military attacks. Just in the past few days, twelve Turkish soldiers were killed in an alleged methane gas accident during an army operation in the region. “These deaths show how absurd and destructive the current policy is - for all sides,” said Eralp.

Activists pointed out that the trustee system, which is used especially in Kurdish cities to remove elected mayors and replace them with government officials, is also an expression of an authoritarian state that undermines democratic structures. “Turkey has become a republic of trustees,” said Eralp, pointing out that over a dozen Kurdish municipalities are currently under trustee administration and many other mayors are in custody.

Gültan Kışanak: Make legal arrangements now!

The former co-mayor of Amed (tr. Diyarbakır) and well-known politician Gültan Kışanak addressed the female members of parliament directly in a speech. "Every woman sitting in parliament today has a responsibility. You are not just MPs, you are also daughters, mothers, sisters - listen to your hearts!" said Kışanak. “If a political process has begun, then parliament must take legal action.”

Recalling the PKK’s decision to disband and disarm, announced in May, Kışanak pointed out that the Turkish state also has a duty to respond to this step. "Laws must now be made that allow them to return to society, to politics, to a life with equal rights. We demand a policy based on freedom, justice and democracy - not on oppression, mistrust and violence."

Women insist on participation in the peace process

Zelal Anğay concluded the demonstration by pointing out that the action in Ankara is more than just a protest event; an expression of growing social pressure on the political class to break the decades-long spiral of violence: “Women once again made it clear that they are not only the victims of war and repression, but also active agents for peace and justice. With our appeal to parliament, we are calling for a legal basis for a new era. And we make it clear: without women, without equal rights, without participation, there can be no lasting peace."