ARJÎN DİLEK ÖNCEL

Amed (Diyarbakır)- The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (Kurdish: Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê, PKK) held its 12th Congress in the Medya Defense Zones between May 5 and May 7, 2025 over the “Call for Peace and Democratic Society” by Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. On May 12, it announced that it “dissolves itself and ends its armed struggle”.

After the call of Abdullah Öcalan and the decision of the PKK to lay down arms, everyone expects a step from the government, calling on the ruling party and all political parties to fulfil their responsibilities for building a permanent peace and democracy in Türkiye.

NuJINHA spoke to Mukaddes Erdoğdu Çelik, a writer and member of the “I Need Peace” Women’s Initiative about the recent developments.

“We are entering a new era. If we want peace in the world, we should maintain peace in our country too,” Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) told journalists on October 1, 2024. On February 27, 2025, Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan made the “Call for Peace and Democratic Society”. Mukaddes Erdoğdu Çelik recalled the speech of Devlet Bahçeli and the call of Abdullah Öcalan and said that the process was achieved through the struggle of the democratic public opinion in Türkiye, especially the People's Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party).

‘They dared to start the process from the end’

The PKK emerged as the “last uprising” against policies ignoring the Kurdish people, Mukaddes Erdoğdu said. “In order to start such a process, first political steps should be taken, a political framework is established, and constitutional principles emerge and the last step is laying down arms. However, the leader of the PKK dared to start the process from the end. This must be respected.”

The armed struggle of the PKK had been put forward as the biggest obstacle to Turkish-Kurdish fraternity and democratization for years, Mukaddes Erdoğdu stressed.

 “The PKK announced that it dissolved itself. However, all the government says, ‘the MIT (The National Intelligence Organization in Türkiye) has been holding the necessary meetings’. The President only said that trustees would be an exception. The appointment of trustees is an unlawful practice and the prisons are full of tens of thousands of political prisoners, 90 percent of them imprisoned for being involved in the Kurdish political movement.”

‘The genie is out of the bottle’

Mukaddes Erdoğdu commented on the recent developments and said, “The genie is out of the bottle. It has been out of the bottle since October 8. This process has already started and no one can block it.”

‘Everyone should welcome this process’

Mukaddes Erdoğdu called on the government to “take concrete steps for peace. First, the situation of sick prisoners should be put on the table. The isolation imposed on Abdullah Öcalan should be lifted. Everyone demanding rights, law and justice, especially the main opposition party, should welcome this process. The government must build up trust among people because this society needs it. The trustees appointed to municipalities must withdraw immediately, Ekrem İmamoğlu must be released.”

Role of women in peace processes

Mukaddes Erdoğdu also talked about the role of women in the peace processes and said, “Women fought for peace in previous attempts for peace. The struggle for peace is the struggle for democracy, rights and law in Türkiye. Women have become the most oppressed group in Türkiye, where patriarchy still prevails. Since they are the most oppressed, they are at the frontline of the struggle for peace.”

The “I Need Peace” Women’s Initiative was formed in February 2025 to increase women’s participation in peace processes. Mukaddes Erdoğdu called on all women to demand peace and democracy everywhere, “Because we need a democratic society and women have the power to build it. If women are not free, society cannot be free.”