The police surrounding Şeyh Said Square were as polite, if not compassionate, as possible. There was, of course, intense precaution and people who wanted to enter the square had to pass through two search points. However, the police were quick and prevented a backlog at the search point. After about an hour they would listen to the statement of the İmralı delegation together with the thousands of people who filled the area. And who knows, they were aware that the delegation's statement would concern them as much as the crowd filling the square.
The announcement was of great concern to the people who filled the square. Each one of them had suffered a lot during the conflict. They had lost their children, their villages had been burned, they had been tortured and almost all of them had a relative in prison or in exile. Now a possibility of peace was emerging from İmralı Island. They had filled Şeyh Said Square to support this possibility, to give strength to this possibility. The much-longed-for peace would come, all the oppression they had been subjected to for years would be left behind, and they would finally be able to sigh without worry. Maybe I am exaggerating, but hope and confidence is a good thing.
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I have watched dozens of events in Şeyh Said Square and none of them could fill the square. Except for today's event... The DEM Party’s İmralı delegation was to announce Abdullah Öcalan's message in Istanbul and the announcement was to be watched on a giant screen in Diyarbakır. Thousands of people gathered in the square to watch the statement. The DEM Party had also made announcements with vehicles in the city. The last-minute news was that the ministry did not allow the live video broadcast. No one dwelled on this detail, the people who filled the square did not stop dancing to the music and chanting slogans. Speaking of slogans, the slogan “Biji Serok Apo” (“Long Live President Apo”) was chanted in such a massive and intense way for the first time in years at an event.
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What is in Öcalan's statement? This was the common question of the people who filled the square. The comments were varied. Everyone shared what they had heard 'from somewhere' of questionable veracity. But every interpretation led to the same conclusion: Öcalan will say “Lay down arms”. Then came the question: According to which promises will the weapons be laid down?
There was no clear answer to this question. Even the rumors received 'from somewhere' felt inadequate and helpless in the face of this question.
Yet there was an air of hope and joy in the square. The cold winter sun was warmed by the hope of the men and women, young and old, gathered in the square.
The hope obviously stemmed from the trust in Öcalan. In a nutshell, the idea in the square was shaped by the sentence, “If Öcalan says the PKK should be dissolved, he must know something”.
Were there no worries among those waiting for the announcement in the square, chanting slogans and dancing? Of course, there were, and this skeptical optimism was based on years of experience. Peace is enforced by an agreement between the two sides, and while one side has taken a huge step by assuming responsibility and dissolving itself, the other side's secrecy, which it has consistently maintained since October, was the only element keeping the doubt alive in Şeyh Said Square.
Will Öcalan be released? Will our children come down from the mountain? Will prisoners be released and exiles return? Will Kurds and the Kurdish language regain their legal and constitutional rights? Will trustees no longer be appointed to municipalities? You cannot imagine what other questions the people gathered in the square to support the process asked.
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The statement was not broadcast on video. However, this was the demand. In fact, the demand for the statement to be video recorded is not new. During the 2013 Newroz celebrations, Abdullah Öcalan's message was read out, as can be remembered. The demand that Öcalan's message should be on video in the next Newroz was expressed in all Newroz celebrations throughout the solution process. Then, the process ended and the demand was left for today.
In fact, if Öcalan's read his call on video, there would have been no uproar and it would have reinforced the confidence of those in the square or in front of their TV sets waiting for the announcement.
The statement was made. The square listened attentively, without making a sound. Ahmet Türk read the Kurdish version of the statement and even though the faces of those who heard the last sentence did not fall, it was possible to see their thoughtfulness and the question marks in their eyes.
When the event was over, there was only one question: What would happen next? The people of Diyarbakır who filled Şeyh Said Square took this question with them and quietly left the square.
Also, the remarks that Sırrı Süreyya Önder quoted from Öcalan stuck in my mind. According to Önder, Abdullah Öcalan told the delegation, “UUndoubtedly, the practical steps for disarmament and the dissolution of the PKK require the recognition of democratic politics and legal dimensions.”
The meaning of this warning, and whether it will be recognized or not, will be the subject of much debate in the coming days. Practice will also show whether “democratic politics and the legal dimension” are recognized.
AKP Deputy Chair Efkan Ala, a veteran of the peace process in 2013, said in a statement on Öcalan's call, “The essence of the call is to lay down arms and for the terrorist organization to dissolve itself. We’ll look at the outcome.”
Those who quietly emptied Şeyh Said Square will, it seems, be looking at the moves the government will take after the call. For example, is the era of appointing trustees to municipalities over? Because of these and similar questions, hope and optimism were accompanied by skepticism in Şeyh Said Square.
Let doubts end and peace come to a land tired of death.