ANKARA – Political scientist Prof. Dr. Levent Köker emphasized the significance of the Parliamentary Commission meeting with Abdullah Öcalan, stating, “Such a meeting would reinforce the seriousness of the process in the eyes of the public.”
Prof. Köker, who was invited by the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party to speak before the recently established “National Solidarity, Fraternity and Democracy Commission,” assessed the potential of the commission to contribute to a democratic solution to the Kurdish issue.
Köker described the commission’s aim to work on issues of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law as a historic opportunity. He stressed the importance of forming a broad societal consensus and recommended equal representation from all parliamentary groups, including those without official status. “A gender-balanced composition and consensus-based decision-making would make the process more democratic,” he added.
He emphasized that the commission should not limit its role to legal steps for the PKK’s disarmament but should address the century-old Kurdish issue in a comprehensive and inclusive manner.
CURRENT POLITICAL CLIMATE HINDERS COMMISSION’S WORK
Köker criticized the government’s anti-democratic practices, citing the non-implementation of rulings by the European Court of Human Rights and Turkey’s Constitutional Court. He pointed to widespread trustee appointments, emergency decrees, and the criminalization of political opposition as major obstacles to progress: “This environment complicates the commission’s ability to work toward human rights and democracy.”
NEED FOR ONGOING DIALOGUE AND STRUCTURAL REFORM
Köker called for the establishment of a subcommittee or secretariat to maintain sustained dialogue with civil society, academics, and community leaders. He categorized the commission’s work into two areas: steps that require no legal change and long-term reforms that do.
“Implementing existing ECHR and Constitutional Court decisions needs no new laws. Arbitrary detentions and restrictions on political prisoners must end immediately,” he said, adding that reforms in the Penal Code and other laws are necessary to reintegrate both political prisoners and disarmed PKK members into social and political life.
KURDISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION AND LOCAL AUTONOMY CRUCIAL
Highlighting structural issues at the root of the problem, Köker stated that resolving the Kurdish issue requires constitutional and administrative reforms. “The right to education in Kurdish and local self-governance must be prioritized. Ending the mono-ethnic nation-state narrative is also essential,” he said.
He also criticized the absence of constitutional dimensions in the commission’s agenda, warning that without this, progress toward a democratic rule of law would be limited.
‘ÖCALAN’S INVOLVEMENT ESSENTIAL FOR THE PROCESS’
Referring to Öcalan’s call on February 27 as a pivotal moment, Köker underlined his potential role in the peace process. “The government's goal of a ‘Turkey without terrorism’ cannot be realized without building a democratic society. Hearing Öcalan’s firsthand proposals would contribute positively,” he stated.
Recalling Turkish Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli’s past remarks about Öcalan speaking in Parliament, Köker said, “Meeting with Öcalan would be a clear sign of the process’s seriousness to the public.”
MA / Ömer Güngör