ISTANBUL – Sultan Bozkurt, a member of the Peace Mothers Initiative, criticized the parliamentary commission for blocking Kurdish-language speeches, calling it "a violation of the fundamental philosophy of peace efforts." She emphasized, "Our mother tongue is our red line. No one can block it."

 

On August 20, the Commission on National Solidarity, Brotherhood, and Democracy heard testimony from the Peace Mothers and Saturday Mothers as part of the Peace and Democratic Society Process. 

 

During the session, Peace Mothers attempted to speak in Kurdish, but were prevented from doing so by Commission Chair and Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş, citing parliamentary rules. Sultan Bozkurt, 80, a long-time peace activist and member of the commission delegation, shared her experience.

 

Forced to flee her village of Xurs (Kızıltepe, Mêrdîn) under state pressure in 1994, Sultan Bozkurt has spent the past 30 years in Istanbul. She began political work in the People's Democracy Party (HADEP) in 1994 and continued her activism through MATUHAY-DER and the Peace Mothers Initiative. “I have struggled for peace for 28 years,” she said.

 

Sultan Bozkurt's daughter, Newroz Bozkurt, has been imprisoned since 1999. As a mother of a political prisoner, she emphasized the importance of Abdullah Öcalan’s calls for peace, stating, “Our aim is to build an honourable peace and life.”

 

Reflecting on the commission invitation, Sultan Bozkurt said: “We were full of hope. We were invited to speak and express ourselves. I thought about 50 years of struggle, our destroyed villages, lost loved ones, and Öcalan’s peace efforts. How could we explain this in 10 minutes?”

 

‘WE RETURNED WITH BROKEN HOPES’

 

She recounted that, despite assurances, no Kurdish interpreter was provided during the commission meeting. “We were told we could speak in Kurdish, but it wouldn't be recorded. That broke our hope. In a parliament discussing the Kurdish issue, we were forced to speak in Turkish,” she said. 

 

Sultan Bozkurt called this a violation of constitutional and human rights: “Preventing us from speaking our language goes against the essence of peace. Our language is sacred. We respect all languages and demand the same respect for ours.”

 

‘THE STATE MUST ACT’

 

Sultan Bozkurt criticized the state’s failure to respond to Öcalan’s repeated peace efforts: “Every time Öcalan begins a process with sincerity, it is blocked. Peace groups were imprisoned. The Dolmabahçe process was derailed. People no longer trust the state.”

 

She warned that missing this fourth opportunity for peace could close the door permanently: “This is a historic chance. The state must act. Political prisoners, especially the sick, should be released as a first step, with legal guarantees.”

 

‘ÖCALAN MUST BE HEARD BY THE COMMISSION’

 

Sultan Bozkurt asserted that Abdullah Öcalan must be allowed to speak freely to the commission. “He is the key actor in the peace process. Without his voice, negotiations cannot succeed. Even today, isolation continues – in prisons and in the parliament itself.”

 

She added: “Banning a people’s language is a form of isolation. Denying basic rights to prisoners is inhumane.”

 

Sultan Bozkurt concluded that democracy and freedom in Turkey hinge on resolving the Kurdish issue and securing Öcalan’s freedom: “Democracy, equality, and human rights are inseparable from peace. Öcalan has always acted with foresight and responsibility. The people trust him. We trust our leader.”

 

MA / Esra Solin Dal