Demirtaş says they will do anything to make PKK disarm in post-AKP era

Former Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş has said that "we will do anything" to make the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) disarm in Turkey after the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) rule ends. Previously, the PKK announced that they extended the inaction decision they took after the Feb. 6 Earthquakes until the elections.

Thursday April 13 2023 09:22 pm

Duvar English

Former Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş, who is imprisoned in Edirne Prison, on April 13 said in a series of tweets that they will do anything for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to lay down arms completely in Turkey.

Halkımıza sözümüz olsun, çatışmadan beslenen Erdoğan rejimi sonrasında PKK'nin Türkiye'de tümüyle silah bırakması için elimizden geleni yapacağız ve mutlaka başaracağız.

TBMM'de usulünce, hukuk çerçevesinde sorunlarımızı çözüp büyük toplumsal barışı kesinlikle sağlayacağız.

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— Selahattin Demirtaş (@hdpdemirtas) April 13, 2023

Demirtaş said, "As a promise to our people, we will do everything we can to ensure that the PKK completely disarms in Turkey after the (President Recep Tayyip) Erdoğan regime that feeds on conflict and we will definitely succeed. We will solve our problems in the Turkish Grand National Assembly duly and within the framework of the law. We will definitely achieve great social peace."

"We could have done these things already," Demirtaş said and added “However, Erdoğan imprisoned those who wanted peace, put them in prisons, tried to shut down their parties, appointed trustees to their municipalities.” Renowned Kurdish leader said Erdoğan fueled the conflict with provocations and tried to scare the people to gain votes through the discourse of "terror".

Demirtaş stated, "Some may even try to shed blood in order to influence the election" and concluded his words as follows:

“Peace and tranquility are possible. We will be careful together and we will not be tricked. Please remember, we want peace and democracy. We want to live together equally and fraternally. This is what the Green Left Party (YSP) will work for the most. Trust us, not the liars and frauds who provoke people for votes. We will surely win together.”

In a recent development, the PKK has declared that they will prolong their period of inactivity, which was initially adopted in the aftermath of the Feb. 6 earthquakes. They said they decided to continue its abstention from militant activities until the upcoming election on May 14.

The PKK launched its first attack in 1984 and the 1990s saw intense conflict between the PKK and Turkish Military especially in the country's southeastern region. Erdoğan's government started to take steps regarding the Kurdish question in 2009 and initiated a "peace process" between 2013–2015 with the armed organization.

Nonetheless, the peace process failed in 2015 and an intense armed conflict erupted in the Southeastern Turkey until 2016. Dozens of civilians died and many cities has demolished during the period.

Since then, the government arrested many Kurdish politicians and criminalized the HDP. The HDP will enter the May 14 under the Green Left Party (YSP) due to the party closure case continuing in the Constitutional Court.

Topics Selahattin Demirtaş HDP YSP PKK PKK-Turkey peace process