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Lawmakers from the ruling party and opposition came together on Wednesday for the second session in two days of the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy committee of Parliament in Ankara.
The “Saturday Mothers” and the “Peace Mothers,” two collectives comprised of women, spoke at the session seeking to set a framework for the way forward in the terror-free Türkiye initiative. The initiative involves the disarmament of the PKK terrorist group, which has killed thousands since the 1980s.
Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş warned about attempts to undermine the initiative and urged caution against possible provocations. He referred to recent remarks circulated by an opposition lawmaker on social media, claiming Türkiye made concessions to the PKK to ensure its disarmament.
Speaking at the opening of the new session, Kurtulmuş, also serving as the committee’s non-voting chair, said they have started “hearing from different segments of society this week” after the first three sessions earlier this month that heard from two ministers and the intelligence chief.
He noted that Türkiye shouldered “shared suffering” from the terrorism, and it was wrong “to compare one’s suffering with another.”
The two groups who attended the session on Wednesday are women whose children joined the PKK voluntarily and those who lost next of kin in “disappearance in detention” or in extrajudicial killings. During a dark period in Türkiye’s counterterrorism history in the 1990s, several people, particularly of Kurdish origin, fell victim to extrajudicial killings or were found dead after they were detained. The Saturday Mothers have pursued justice for them. The Peace Mothers are comprised of mothers of PKK members and advocate for “peace” in what they claim has been a “war” between the group and the Turkish state. Türkiye rejects the definition of the PKK’s actions as a just war and has shunned branding efforts to resolve the issue through non-military means as a “peace process.”
On Tuesday, the committee heard from families of people killed by the PKK, from civilians to military officers, as well as representatives of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) for counterterrorism veterans.
“What matters is taking measures as politicians so that we will not relive what happened in the past and walk toward the future in unity and calm. We only want to enhance our decisiveness for a common future,” Kurtulmuş said.
No concessions
In Tuesday’s session, NGOs representing veterans and families of martyrs expressed support for the initiative but warned that the PKK should not benefit from any concessions. They told the committee that authorities should not consider any general amnesty for PKK members, especially those involved in attacks targeting soldiers, and expressed firm opposition to any pardon for the group’s jailed ringleader, Abdullah Öcalan.
They also expressed opposition to any constitutional changes to address the PKK’s future demands.
Mustafa Işık, head of a major association representing veterans and civilians who lost their limbs or a loved one in terrorist attacks, told the committee in Tuesday’s session that he endorsed the initiative but stressed that authorities should be cautious. “I called Ali before coming here. He was an ex-soldier who lost one foot, one hand and sight in both eyes in a clash with the PKK. His sight was restored only after a cornea transplant from another soldier (killed by the PKK). I asked him about his opinion of terror-free Türkiye. He said he was ready to sacrifice his life for terrorism to end, but he cannot speak for ‘that martyr who gave me his eye.'”
Lokman Aylar, head of a foundation for veterans and families of martyrs, showed the prosthetic eye that replaced the eye he lost in 1996 in a terror attack while he was a soldier. “Nobody should talk on behalf of us. We support this process,” he said. He was referring to certain far-right groups claiming the initiative was a betrayal of veterans.
Ayşegül Biçer, one of the representatives for “Diyarbakır Mothers,” told the session on Tuesday that young members of the PKK should be allowed to return home. The “Diyarbakır Mothers” is a group of women whose children were brainwashed to join the terrorist group, and since 2019, they have staged a sit-in in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır, demanding that the PKK let their children go. Biçer said they had utmost respect for all mothers, especially those whose children were killed by the PKK.
“Disarmament is not enough. (The PKK) should let our youth return to their families. Kurdish mothers’ children tricked into joining them should reunite with their children. We expect sons and daughters of these mothers to be prioritized in this initiative,” she said.
The terror-free Türkiye initiative launched by government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli had its first tangible progress in February when Öcalan accepted Bahçeli’s call and urged the group to lay down its weapons. In May, the PKK announced it would dissolve itself. Last month, some 30 PKK members, including a senior leader, burned their weapons in a ceremony in northern Iraq. Although symbolic, the gesture marked the first time that the group had laid down arms in its campaign of violence for more than four decades.
Earlier this month, the initiative proceeded to its next step with the establishment of the parliamentary committee.
Comprised of lawmakers from most parties represented at Parliament, the committee will weigh how the initiative will proceed, especially in terms of laws and regulations regarding the status of the PKK and its members. This may include lenient sentences for surrendering members of the group.
Although Parliament is in summer recess, the committee will continue to work without interruption. The committee will not directly propose bills but will likely refer its reports to other subcommittees of Parliament, which will then discuss and vote on bills for their referral to the Parliament’s General Assembly. The General Assembly is the ultimate authority in Parliament to pass laws. Throughout its tenure, the committee will also hear statements of stakeholders involved or affected by the initiative, from the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), which monitors the PKK’s disarmament, to families of terror victims. The committee is expected to recommend amendments to counterterrorism laws and the Turkish Penal Code to accommodate the needs of the initiative, especially in terms of the situation of people convicted of terrorism or aiding and abetting the PKK.
Bahçeli last Sunday said that he expected all work regarding the initiative would be completed by the end of the year.
He called on all political parties to support the work of the committee.
Saying that having the PKK act in accordance with Öcalan’s call to dissolve opens the door for positive developments, Bahçeli added that the MHP is sincerely continuing its efforts to embody a climate of peace.
He said that the Kurdish population in Türkiye’s eastern and southeastern regions also supported the process and that this would ensure success. Bahçeli emphasized that it is time for citizens everywhere to live in peace without the worry of terrorism.
