Lack of democratisation, increase in pressure on the opposition

Politics Service

PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan will publish a new message today, on the anniversary of 27 February, when he called on the PKK to lay down its arms. An announcement made by the DEM Party the previous day stated that a conference would be held in Ankara where Öcalan's message would be read. The DEM Party's announcement stated, ‘We will share our assessments regarding the stage reached in the democratic solution to the Kurdish issue and the future of the process, as well as Mr Öcalan's new message on the process, with the press and the public.’

WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST YEAR

While the content of Öcalan's message is eagerly awaited, uncertainty and questions about the process have persisted in the year since 27 February. Following this call, the PKK announced that it had laid down its arms, and a symbolic ceremony was held to burn weapons. Subsequently, the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission was established in Parliament. Many institutions, ranging from democratic mass organisations to affiliated foundations and associations, were heard by the Commission. After the Commission's lengthy meetings, the process moved on to the reporting stage.

In the joint report of the process commission in the Grand National Assembly, the ‘ensuring full compliance with ECHR and Constitutional Court decisions’ was recommended, and the Right to Hope, which sparked public debate, was defined as ‘ensuring the justice of execution.’ The report, which also included a recommendation to end the trusteeship regulation, was accepted by a majority vote. Türkan Elçi from the CHP abstained, while EMEP and TİP voted against.

Many statements were made by the regime that the first phase of the process had ended and the second phase had begun. However, no steps towards democratisation have been taken to date. On the contrary, while the process continues, successive operations have been carried out against the opposition and the municipalities under its control. CHP's presidential candidate and Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was arrested and detained in the 19 March operations. Mayors of municipalities controlled by the opposition were removed from office, and many were sent to prison.

The former Co-Chairs of the HDP, Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, have not been released from prison, despite occasional statements by MHP Leader Devlet Bahçeli. CHP Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer, who was imprisoned in the City Reconciliation case, and DEM Mardin Metropolitan Mayor Ahmet Türk, who was replaced by a trustee, have not been reinstated to their positions.

TRUST CAN BE BUILT THROUGH THE LAW

The lack of steps towards democratisation is also causing reactions within the country. Most recently, DEM Party Ağrı MP Sırrı Sakık said that the PKK's disarmament process is beginning to be seen as an election-driven policy and a stalling tactic. Sakık noted that no concrete steps have been taken to strengthen peace and democracy. Referring to the planned reforms, Sakık called for the application of international law, saying, ‘If Turkey is truly going to make a new start, it must first comply with the law in force.’

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ABANDON THE TRUSTEE POLICY

DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan made a statement after a meeting in Diyarbakır attended by his party's co-mayors and members of the provincial council. Bakırhan reacted strongly to the trustee appointments and called on the new Interior Minister. Stating that voters had expressed their opposition to the trustee policy in the last elections, Bakırhan said, ‘The people already expressed their stance against trustees by choosing our party in the last elections, demanding an end to this usurpation. This stance must be respected.’

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MET WITH THE ÖCALAN FAMILY

A statement by Asrın Law Firm reported that Abdullah Öcalan met with his brother Mehmet Öcalan and his nephew Ömer Öcalan, who is also a DEM Party MP, in Imralı.

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MACHETES ARE PERMITTED, PROTESTING IS A CRIME!

Following the protests on 19 March, Hacettepe University in Ankara, which was in the news with over a thousand investigations opened against more than a hundred students, made a controversial decision.

As a result of the investigations, two students were suspended from school for one year. The university's Special Security Units (ÖGB) intervened against students protesting against the country's lawlessness.

The university administration's suspension decision included the statement: ‘Using force and violence against higher education institution officials to prevent them from performing their duties.’

The following statement was made by SOL Genç:

"Our university continues to commit crimes legally. Today, our friends received papers stating that they have been suspended from school for one year, effective immediately.

The AKP-MHP regime, which brought in masked gangs armed with clubs and did not impose any sanctions on them, and the trustee rector, who is the campus guard, had previously expelled our friends from the dormitory in a similar manner. Later, through our political and legal struggle, we regained our right to accommodation. Now we are clearly announcing that our struggle will continue until we regain all our rights, and we stand with our friends. We call on all our fellow students to stand shoulder to shoulder with us."

LET'S STAND TOGETHER AGAINST INJUSTICE

In a statement from the Left Party, it was said, "On 19 March, the education rights of Hacettepe students who sought their rights to defend democracy, their future and their country are being taken away. We stand shoulder to shoulder with the students who face expulsion penalties of up to four years in successive investigations. You cannot silence the youth with oppression; the solidarity and struggle of the youth are greater than those who seek to imprison the country in darkness."

Our call to the public is this: Hacettepe students are being punished with expulsion penalties of up to four years for wanting to defend their rights, freedoms, and future.

Those who are guilty and should be investigated are not those who are fighting with a spirit of solidarity from the campuses to the streets; it is those who want to punish students with repressive and tyrannical policies. Just as we said on 19 March that we would be their voice and win through solidarity until not a single one of our friends remained in detention, we must say the same today. We must not give way to those who seek to intimidate young people through our fellow students at Hacettepe.

We call on everyone to stand in solidarity with our fellow students at Hacettepe, whose right to education is being threatened by investigation terror and expulsion, to amplify their voices, and to stand together against this injustice.”

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Demokratikleşme yok, muhalefete baskı arttı, published in BirGün newspaper on February 27, 2026.