The aftermath of the PKK’s decision to end its activities following the 12th Congress held on May 5–7, in response to Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan’s “Call for Peace and a Democratic Society,” continues to resonate in Turkey and around the world. 

 

Janis Ehling, Secretary General of Die Linke shared his views on the process and Germany’s stance.

 

‘CONCRETE STEPS ARE NEEDED’

 

Ehling described Abdullah Öcalan’s continued imprisonment under severe isolation as “horrible” and expressed great respect for his call for peace despite the conditions. He emphasized that the PKK’s decisions represent a significant opportunity for the region: “I believe it's necessary for all the people in Turkey, especially for the Kurdish people who are suffering under the repression of the Turkish army and Turkish policies. On the one hand, there is a big opportunity; on the other hand, the PKK is coming forward with this proposal, and I think the Turkish government has to take it very seriously. As a first step, it is absolutely necessary to free Abdullah Öcalan from prison and enter into real peace negotiations”

 

Ehling stressed that steps toward disarmament must not go unanswered: “I think concrete steps are needed when someone, or comrades in the Kurdish movement, lay down their weapons. They need guarantees for the release of prisoners. They need a guarantee that they have the right to participate in politics in Turkey in a democratic way. They need the right for their leading figures, like Selahattin Demirtaş, to be free and to compete in another presidential election. I think these are necessary steps, and these kinds of guarantees are deeply needed.”

 

'GERMAN GOVERNMENT MUST CHANGE ITS POLICY'

 

Recalling Germany’s ongoing criticism of Turkey’s attacks on North and East Syria as well as the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Ehling also commented on arms exports: “We demanded from our government that they immediately stop sending weapons to Turkey, because that amounts to supporting the Turkish government’s armed conflict.”

 

Ehling criticized the recent arrest of former Co-Chair of the European Kurdish Democratic Societies Congress (KCDK-E), Yüksel Koç, who was detained in Bremen on May 20. She stated that her parliamentary group had submitted two motions to the German government:

 

“We asked our government,—through two motions/questions in Parliament last week—first, what steps the German government plans to take to support the ongoing peace process in Turkey, and what kind of pressure they are willing to apply to the Turkish government to end the war. The second question was: when peace negotiations begin, it is necessary for the PKK to no longer be illegal in Germany. They should be legalized. For many years, the PKK has been listed as a terrorist organization by the European Union, but now there is a new situation. You cannot have peace negotiations if one side is still labeled as terrorists. That is not how peace negotiations work. So, I think the German government—which, as you mentioned, is quite influential in the European Union—must stop this, because it is a completely new situation, and they must change their policy on this matter.”

 

MA / Hîvda Çelebî