IZMIR – Vetha Aydın, member of the Human Rights Association (İHD) Executive Board, urged the parliamentary commission to prioritize legal reforms that would eliminate human rights violations, emphasizing the necessity of initiating dialogue with Abdullah Öcalan as part of the peace process.
The “Commission on National Solidarity, Brotherhood, and Democracy,” established within the Turkish Parliament to address the Peace and Democratic Society Process, continues to hear from various groups. During the commission’s fifth meeting on August 20, Aydın stressed the importance of including Öcalan, armed militants, and Kurdish diaspora representatives in discussions.
Highlighting urgent issues such as enforced disappearances, unsolved murders, village evacuations, mass graves, and gender-based violence, Vetha Aydın called for commissions focused on justice and reconciliation to address these concerns. She stated: “If we want to solve this problem, we need to confront the past and involve victims directly. The process should not be limited to political parties in Parliament; victims and relevant institutions must also participate.”
'MASS GRAVES MUST BE IDENTIFIED'
Vetha Aydın further demanded the “right to hope” for prisoners, especially those like Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. She pointed out that the conflict is not only a 40-year issue but a century-old one, urging recognition of historical wounds. Citing figures such as Sheikh Said and Seyit Rıza, she lamented the lack of proper burial sites and criticized obstacles to returning the bodies of those killed in cross-border operations. She stressed the immediate identification and exhumation of mass graves and warned that past graves of militants were destroyed following sabotage attempts, erasing collective memory.
'THE COMMISSION SHOULD NOT ONLY LISTEN TO PARTIES'
Vetha Aydın also advocated for justice seekers like the Saturday Mothers, calling for Galatasaray Square to be recognized as a “memory center.” She criticized restrictions on speaking Kurdish during commission sessions, highlighting the need to remove barriers to the mother tongue. She also called for the reinstatement of workers dismissed by decree laws and warned that prolonging the process risks provoking tensions, including through social media.
Lastly, she urged the commission to act swiftly against discriminatory and racist rhetoric, emphasizing that legal reforms are essential for progress. “The commission must go beyond merely listening to parties and take concrete steps to ensure a faster and more reliable process,” she stressed.
MA / Uğurcan Boztaş