AMED - Adem Kocaman lost his HPG member brother Ethem Kocaman in the ongoing attacks despite the PKK's ceasefire decision. "The attacks are breaking confidence. Operations must stop and the process must be carried out on legal grounds," he says.
Despite the ceasefire and termination decisions taken by the PKK following Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan's "Call for Peace and Democratic Society" on 27 February, Turkey's attacks continue. HPG member Ethem Kocaman (Welat Hêmin) lost his life in the attacks on 27 May while the ceasefire decision was in effect.
'ATTACKS BREAK CONFIDENCE'
brother Adem Kocaman, who lives in Amed (Diyarbakır), said the attacks damaged the process and damaged trust. Kocaman said that his brother joined the PKK against the policies of oppression against Kurds: "There has been pressure on our language for as long as we can remember. When the language of a society is banned, a rebellion against this inevitably arises. Ethem was also influenced by this and joined the organisation."
Emphasising that the Kurdish issue must be solved on a constitutional level, Kocaman said: "They tell us 'we live under equal conditions' but there is no such thing. How can we be equal without changing this constitution? This issue is no longer only a Kurdish issue, but also a Turkish issue."
Pointing out that the call of Abdullah Öcalan had raised hope for peace in the society, Kocaman said that their confidence in the process was broken with the news of the death of his brother.
Kocaman said, "Peace is possible on a democratic level. But this prolongation of the process causes scepticism in the society. We say that we are brothers and sisters with the Turkish society and that we live together. But there are conditions for living together. In this context, there must be constitutional guarantees and Kurds must be recognised. In other words, it should not be so difficult to accept the language of a people."
'THE PROCESS SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT ON A LEGAL BASIS'
Reminding that the PKK dissolved itself after the call, Kocaman stressed: "Why do you want to lead your soldiers to war again when the power against you has laid down its arms, what is your problem? Do you want this war to continue? If you want to make peace with the person you are at war with, both sides should sit at the table on equal terms. But the Leader (Abdullah Öcalan) is still in prison. The operations must be stopped. My brother was martyred. How can this give us confidence? We have experienced these, but we still want peace. In order for the process to be carried out, everything must be carried out on a transparent and legal basis. Otherwise, there will be no confidence."
MA / Heval Önkol