Turkey: Kurds declare democratic self-rule

By Rojhelat:

AMED, — Congress for a Democratic Society (DTK), a platform for Kurdish associations and movements, including the main Kurdish party BDP have proclaimed democratic self-rule, saying that the Kurds do not want to live without a status.

The 850 delegates of the DTK, meeting Thursday, July 14 in Amed (Diyarbakir), the capital of North Kurdistan, have decided to proclaim a ‘democratic self-rule’ for the peaceful resolution of the Kurdish question.

“In the light of international conventions on human rights, respect for the territorial integrity of a common land and the prospect of a democratic nation, we, the Kurdish people, pledge our Democratic Self-rule, as well as national commitment to unity of the peoples of Turkey, “says the final declaration, read by the co-chair of the DTK, Aysel Tugluk.

Stressing that democratic self-rule is the natural system of all communities, Tugluk indicates that this autonomy is not intended to destroy a state and build another.

For the DTK, autonomy is not a democratic state system, but a system in which the Kurdish people could govern themselves.

The DTK also claims that the Kurdish people will no longer accept living without a status and called on the international community to recognize that right.

Boycott of Parliament to continue

This announcement comes as the main Kurdish party BDP continues to boycott the Turkish parliament since the elections on June 12

Kurdish MPs demand the signing of a bilateral protocol between the BDP and the ruling AKP of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. But the government refuses to agree on draft legislation that could finally pave the way for the release of six Kurdish deputies in prison, including Hatip Dicle, a figure of the Kurdish movement.

The parliamentary seat of the latter was removed on June 20, eight days after the election, by the High Electoral Board(YSK), under the pretext of his being sentenced to 20 months in prison for remarks under the Terrorism Act.

Independent candidates for the Bloc “Labour, Democracy and Freedom”, supported by the BDP main Kurdish party, won 36 seats in the national elections compared to 22 in 2007, despite a very unfair campaign and fraud across the country, especially in the Kurdish region.

One Response to Turkey: Kurds declare democratic self-rule
  1. […] the Congress for a Democratic Society, an umbrella group of legal Kurdish organizations in Turkey, declared the autonomy of Kurds in southeastern Turkey. Certainly, this is a shot across the bow, and a most […]

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