Attacks against Kurds continue in every field. After the March 31st elections, the government, which lost the support of the people, is embracing many different policies both inside and outside Turkey in order to secure its seat. 

 

While the absolute lack of communication with PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, who has been held in isolation in İmralı Prison for 25 years, continues, on the other hand, attacks on the Federated Kurdistan Region are being carried out in partnership with the Kurdistan Democrat Party (KDP). On the other hand, the crackdown on Kurdish weddings continues. 

 

In addition to all these hot agendas, the public is discussing the message that AKP Chair and President Erdoğan wants to convey with his photo in Xelat (Ahlat) district of Bêdlîs (Bitlis) and his speech in Milazgir (Malazgirt) district of Mûş (Muş).

 

Erdoğan attended the “953rd Anniversary Celebration Program of the Victory of Malazgirt” in Mûş and in his speech he claimed that there has been a “Red Apple (Symbol of Turkish nationalism and Turkish expansionism) Voyage” since then and that the peoples have made an alliance. 

 

Before coming to Mûş, Erdoğan took a photo with the heads of the MHP, the Grand Union Party (BBP) and the HUDA-PAR, as well as the Air Force Commanders in the Xelat district of Bedlîs. 

 

 

Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları answered Mezopotamya Agency's (MA) questions about the developments in politics, possible possibilities, the pressure on Kurds and opposition groups and the ongoing isolation of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan.

 

We would like to start with the isolation imposed on PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, who has not been heard from for 42 months. What is the need of the state or states for the absolute lack of communication imposed on Abdullah Öcalan?

 

 

 

First of all, the isolation of Mr. Abdullah Öcalan for 42 months is neither in accordance with national nor international law. It is not possible to accept this. There are very important objections, protests and campaigns against this situation in Turkey, the Middle East and the world. This voice, these messages absolutely need to be heard. 

 

The reason is the desire not to solve the Kurdish issue through peaceful and democratic methods. Talks with Mr. Öcalan are in the interest of the peoples of Turkey. Turkey has experienced a peace process. Mr. Öcalan's messages were very important in this sense. His messages were messages of peace, tranquility and brotherhood for the people of Turkey and the region to live together in peace, tranquility and brotherhood within the framework of a law recognizing equal rights and coexistence. The isolation of Mr. Öcalan is a response to the Kurdish people: 'We do not want to solve the Kurdish issue’.  This is a response to the peoples of the Middle East. At the same time, the government says, 'War and conflict are useful for us in this period'.  This is the social reading of this.  In this respect, it is essential for us that the isolation ends as soon as possible. 

 

The Kurdish issue or the isolation in İmralı is not something that only Kurds should voice. The Kurdish issue and the related issue of isolation is never only the issue of the Kurdish people. There is an understanding of power and a state tradition that uses the Kurdish issue in this way. Our most fundamental approach is to establish coexistence as peoples, to live as brothers and sisters. The Kurdish issue is not only a Kurdish issue. This is also the case with the budget allocated for the war. Every penny of every budget allocated to the war leaves the tables of workers, laborers and the poor. Therefore, we need to object to the war in order for the bread on our own table to grow bigger. 

 

The Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), which is responsible for monitoring and preventing torture in prisons, has visited İmralı Island Prison. However, it has not released its reports on this prison, nor has it taken any steps to address the absolute lack of communication. What is the role of the CPT in isolation, do you have a call in this sense?

 

Once again, we say that no institution and no one should give in to Turkey's blackmail. The CPT must fulfill its duties and responsibilities in this regard. The CPT came here and witnessed how isolation is torture. It is in their report but they did not disclose it. This situation is also a state of torture. We invite the CPT to urgent duty. We also call on the forces of democracy in Turkey. Turkey needs peace more than anything else. The way to establish peace is to solve the Kurdish issue through peaceful and democratic methods, and for this we need the Imrali gates to be opened and the dialog process to begin. In this regard, I would like to invite all democratic forces in Turkey to courageously put this issue on the agenda and find solutions. 

 

69 Nobel laureates sent a letter to AKP Chair and President Tayyip Erdoğan calling for an end to the isolation of PKK leader Öcalan. How would you interpret this stance of intellectuals in the face of the insistence of the states on isolation?  

 

The world needs peace. Turkey needs peace. This demand of these world-renowned names who have dedicated their entire lives to the struggle for peace is very important. This needs to be taken into consideration. First and foremost, the government should take it into consideration. This demand is a demand for peace on behalf of humanity. This demand is to stop the deaths and defend life.  This is the meaning of the demand to lift the isolation against Mr. Öcalan. This demand is also a demand for the fundamental establishment of peace in Turkey and the region. Everyone should listen to this demand. The current government should listen the most. Look, those who do not solve the Kurdish issue are being solved, we see how this government is being solved. They made a brief attempt at 'normalization'.  By the way, we know very well that they are doing this tactically. We know that they are doing it to pull themselves together. Even if it was tactical, they could not maintain normalization for more than a month. Do you know why? Because they feed on war and conflict. If they cannot carry it out even tactically, this shows their exhaustion. 

 

The photo of Erdoğan and the heads of the MHP, BBP and HÜDAPAR as well as the force commanders in Xelat is one of the most talked about topics in recent days. How do you evaluate the photo, which has been described as a “war shot”?

 

 

 

 

Erdoğan's speech there explained what this photo means. Erdoğan says, 'Kurds, Arabs and Turks won the victory of Malazgirt together'. They call it the 'Red Apple Alliance', but we said that this alliance is a 'rotten apple alliance'. That is how we read this photo. It is the photo of those who implement policies that turn Kurds, Arabs and Turks against each other in Turkey today. This photo frame ultimately also means the Gendarmerie Intelligence and Anti-terror Unit (JİTEM) alliance. The JİTEM alliance has built itself on monist, racist and nationalism. This is a photograph in which this monist, racist and nationalist alliance is institutionalized. Being there in the name of Kurdishness is an issue that needs to be questioned. Our word against this photo is very clear; against this dirty alliance, we continue our insistence on building the alliance of the peoples.

 

Again, the deep poverty Turkey is going through has engulfed millions of people. People in Turkey are no longer able to pay rent or natural gas bills. Seasonal workers are bleeding. The policies implemented have finished agriculture. They opened agricultural lands for development. They gave them to mining companies. They made us dependent on foreign countries. We even buy wheat, cereals and straw from abroad. It should be known that most of the importing companies are also partisan companies. This is very important. They have given away everything in the country to their cronies. The photo of Malazgirt that we were focusing on was a threat against the emergence of an organized reaction. 

 

This is the same in the world. They insist on war and conflict. They mobilize all their law enforcement and judiciary for the continuation of this regime. As a matter of fact, the AKP-MHP alliance is doing this. Malazgirt is an indication of this. It was a picture of 'we, together with the force commanders, are willing to risk everything'. This photo of the military and civilians side by side should be evaluated from different perspectives. Turkey is a country that has experienced a history of coups. It should be evaluated with this history.

 

There have been comments that MHP has broken away from the People's Alliance based on some recent photographs taken by MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli. How would you evaluate this situation?

 

There is a widely used saying by us; MHP was appointed as the trustee of AKP. The deep state appointed the MHP as a trustee of the AKP. Now we see this in every step. Look, Erdoğan tactically started the normalization process. The MHP was the first to react. We need to understand that this authoritarian regime, this fascist regime, cannot say 'we are normalizing' anymore, it cannot be like that. Because AKP is no longer a party that continues to exist with the codes it was founded with. AKP is no longer a civilian party. AKP is now a statized party. 

 

AKP is following a tactic to exonerate itself. The opposition needs to be vigilant against this tactic. The MHP, which is acting as a trustee, is putting the steps taken by the AKP during its period of existence through the prism of the existing authoritarian regime. Anything that does not pass through this prism, anything that is unlikely to happen, anything that it thinks will be a tangent, is threatened. 

 

 

Recently, MHP Chair Bahçeli has been targeting the CHP through your party. How do you evaluate this?  

 

Yes, there are some steps we have taken in the last three elections to push back the current government, to push back the regime. These steps are also seen by the regime. The DEM Party's attitude so far has cost it. We were then billed for this. The Kobanê Case, the case to shut down the HDP is such a bill. We are paying the price for these and we bear the honor of it. We also know that they are taking steps to wear down the main opposition party through us. 

 

 

Do these steps have a strong response in Turkish society?

 

 

I think they are effective only in the narrow neighborhood of AKP-MHP. They have no effect on the wider neighborhood. The opposition should see very well how much the current government's appeal to the masses has shrunk. This is a chance, an opportunity for us. Of course, the main opposition party has a very important task here. This country needs a political party with a real social democratic structure. But we will see together whether the main opposition party will take this chance or not. If it takes this chance positively and bends the stick in favor of democracy, it will contribute to the democratization of this country.

 

 

Another main agenda of Turkey is the attacks against the Kurds.  The attacks have reached such a stage that those who sing Kurdish songs and halay are arrested. Workers who speak Kurdish are attacked. There are also attacks against Kurdish deputies in the Parliament. Therefore, the subjects of Kurdish politics have faced very serious violence. How do you evaluate this situation?

 

The government, which has taken a strong stance against the democratic solution of the Kurdish issue and has maintained its traditional state approach, has recently resorted to a method that we witnessed in the 90s. Such as interfering in weddings, preventing people from singing Kurdish music... The government is forcing an emotional rupture. In addition, these examples show how far the government has moved away from a solution and shows that it will not solve the issue. That Malazgirt photo is not a photo shared for nothing. It is a threat photo. This photo says that this is how we will respond to those who do not obey us. It says the army is behind us. Another one brings out a political subject they claim to represent the Kurdish people. It is actually the continuation of Hezbollah, but they present it as a political subject. We know very well what it is. Therefore, politically, we will not allow this regime to fall. The army says the army is with us. They are sending a message that 'we will use such subjects against the Kurdish people'.  

 

This is my call to the Kurds and Alevis. In the codes of the state, these two groups have always wanted to be used for chaos. By frustrating them in this regard, we can very well disrupt the game of this regime and the government. Together with the forces of democracy, we can easily break the dirty alliance that was brought together in that photo in Malazgirt. The main thing is a strong alliance.

 

 

There are criticisms that the democratic opposition is not sufficiently organized and cannot act together. Against all attacks, how can the opposition act together to repel the attacks?

 

 

 

 

 

We have a responsibility to analyze these conditions better and to create energy. I say once again that we must organize more and take bolder steps both for the struggle for bread and the struggle for justice. The objective conditions in Turkey are ready for this. We call on the opposition; do not get caught up in a restorationist approach. This will not democratize Turkey. Do not get caught up in the understanding that does not see the Kurdish issue, does not see the Alevi issue, does not see the obstacles to our democratization that have become chronic throughout Turkey's century-long history. This understanding will only play into the hands of the government. Turkey is not the same Turkey.

 

 

MA / Selman Güzelyüz - Mehmet Aslan