ANKARA – DEM Party Spokesperson Ayşegül Doğan stated that the attempted assassination of Sırrı Süreyya Önder is being followed with seriousness. Doğan noted that it is only a matter of time before the PKK announces it has convened its congress, saying, "We are also awaiting this historic step, this historic decision, with great seriousness and importance."
Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party Spokesperson Ayşegül Doğan held a press conference at the party headquarters regarding current developments.
Beginning her speech by referring to the late Sırrı Süreyya Önder, Ayşegül Doğan said, “Our pain is very fresh, our loss is immense. The burden he left behing is very, very heavy.” She also stated that Önder left them with a historical responsibility.
Adressing the attempted assassination against Önder, Ayşegül Doğan shared that the situation was noticed in the residential complex where he lives in Ankara. She explained that all necessary precautions were taken and that the incident was not shared publicly because Önder did not want it to be exploited.
Ayşegül Doğan added: “This incident was followed with great seriousness and meticulousness, and the decision not to share it with the public was one jointly made by him and our party. He did not want to cause public panic, and neither did we—we did not want to heighten societal concerns.”
Referring to the assassination allegations regarding DEM Party İmralı Delegation member Pervin Buldan, Ayşegül Doğan said that an accident occurred in Rome which did not even cause material damage, and that it was due to the driver of the vehicle carrying Pervin Buldan and Keskin Bayındır.
PKK CONGRESS
Answering journalists’ questions regarding the PKK convening its congress, Ayşegül Doğan stressed: “It is a matter of time before the PKK announces it has convened its congress. The PKK may declare at any moment that the congress has been held. I want to share this with you here. We are also awaiting this historic step, this historic decision, with great seriousness and importance. We have said that words, not weapons, must speak. We said politics bears great responsibilities for ensuring that words are spoken and weapons are completely rendered obsolete. Everyone must carry this responsibility with courage and be willing to do so. What we are trying to protect is the future of Turkey, we said. Today, we repeat the same. It is a matter of time before the PKK announces it has convened its congress. This is an important step, but what comes after this step will also be important.”