Dear friends,
Last Friday, we brought together a distinguished panel to discuss the ongoing peace talks in Turkey and the role of the PKK in the renewed struggle for a political solution for the 30-year Turkish-Kurdish conflict. The event was held in conjunction with Campaign against Criminalising Communities and Haldane Society of Lawyers. ( http://peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com/2013/06/13/turkey-peace-talks-and-the-pkk-freedom-and-justice-for-the-kurds/ )
Present on the panel were Dr Ozlem Galip, lecturer at Oxford University; Professor Michael M Gunter, professor of political science at Tennessee Technical University and secretary of the EUTCC; barrister Melanie Gingell, who has been an international observer at the ongoing KCK trial of Abdullah Ocalan’s lawyers in Istanbul; and Barry White, NUJ representative to the European Federation of Journalists and who has also acted as trial monitor for journalists charged under the Turkish terrorism act. The discussion was chaired by Haldane Society international secretary, Professor Bill Bowring.
The speakers expressed concerns that the peace process appears to have stalled in recent weeks, and in particular, that the Gezi Park protests have had the unfortunate effect of turning attention away from recent conferences and peace-building efforts by the Kurdish movement.
Also discussed were Turkey’s draconian anti-terror laws, which have been used systematically to criminalise the Kurdish people, leading to thousands of political arrests. It was firmly argued that in order for the peace process to be successful, the Turkish government should delist the PKK from its list of terrorist organisations so it can be considered a legitimate political actor in the conflict, as well as an equal negotiating partner.
The event was filmed so for all of you who missed it, you can watch it here: http://peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com/2013/07/03/turkey-peace-talks-and-the-pkk-full-video/
Many thanks to Saman Gareeb for filming.
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