Response to CoM: If Mr Öcalan's conditions are not improved, the process will stall 

2025-09-22 13:15:19


	 

	ISTANBUL - DEM Party Istanbul Provincial Co-Chair Arife Çınar criticised the Committee of Ministers' decision to grant Turkey until June 2026 regarding Abdullah Öcalan's ‘right to hope,’ stating, ‘The Committee's decision is worrying. A decision that would yield effective and concrete results was needed during this process.’

	 

	The Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers (CoM) announced its interim decision on the ‘right to hope’ of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, Emin Gurban, Civan Boltan and Hayati Kaytan, and the ‘Gurban Group’ case. The Committee held a Human Rights Meeting on 15-17 September. At the meeting, it stated that legal changes should be made within the framework of a new action plan. In its decision, the Committee called on Turkey to take the ‘urgent’ necessary steps, giving Turkey until the end of June 2026 to do so.

	 

	Arife Çınar, Co-Chair of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) in Istanbul, commented on the AKBK's decision.

	 

	‘The committee’s decision is a worrying one’

	 

	Arife Çınar stated that no action had yet been taken despite the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling in 2014 that there had been a violation of the ‘right to hope’, and that concrete steps must be taken immediately. Drawing attention to the ongoing and increasing human rights violations in prisons, Arife Çınar called for an immediate end to these violations. Arife Çınar said, "I believe the committee's decision has been excessively delayed. We are in the midst of an important process. At such a time, the committee has postponed its decision until June 2026. This is a very long time. States have their own laws. However, these laws are based on bourgeois democracy, not the demands of the people. We are talking about a system built on nation-state law. This system is based on a mindset that does not respect human rights. As the process unfolds, if the Kurdish issue is to be resolved in these lands, it can only be possible with Mr Öcalan. Mr Öcalan must be allowed to exercise his right to hope because he is the chief negotiator in this process. The committee's decision is worrying; I do not view this decision positively."

	 

	‘A decision that would impact the process should have been made’

	 

	Arife Çınar, reminding that the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission established in Parliament must implement the necessary legal regulations as soon as possible, emphasised that Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan is the chief negotiator in this process. Arife Çınar said, "The Commission is important, but the Commission alone is not enough. A change in the law must be made quickly. A process is underway in Turkey, but the fact that this process is taking so long and no concrete steps are being taken creates a negative picture. A decision that would have an impact on the process should have been made. 

	 

	The Turkish state is also aware of the necessity of the right to hope. As long as the right to hope is not applied to Mr Abdullah Öcalan, this process will be disrupted or dragged out over time and become unsolvable. This means that the problem will deepen. As long as Mr Öcalan's conditions are not improved, the process will be blocked. Mr Öcalan must be allowed to meet with his family, lawyers and delegations. If we call him the chief negotiator, his isolation must be lifted and his conditions improved. Because we are talking about a very big problem, and the solution to this problem is possible with Mr. Öcalan's physical freedom. For this, the right to hope must be taken as a basis."

	 

	‘The commission must fulfil its role’

	 

	Arife Çınar concluded by saying: “If a resolution process has been initiated in Turkey, laws that will nurture and support this process must be enacted. Concrete steps must be taken immediately. It is a positive development that the Commission is conducting work, but the main issue that needs to be addressed is securing Mr Öcalan's physical freedom. The Commission must fulfil its role and mission."