The pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) had called for a protest march to Çağlayan, Istanbul, in order to criticise operations against the party.
Protests against prosecution of DTP
Recently, there have been detentions and arrests of leading DTP members, and there is also discussion of prosecuting six DTP MPs for speeches they have made, despite their parliamentarian immunity.
Party co-chair Emine Ayna spoke at the rally. Referring to President Abdullah Gül's recent hope-inspiring comments, she said, "It is not enough to say 'Good things will happen.' This rally is a first, take it into consideration and stop operations against the DTP."
She also called for any dialogue to include imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan.
The crowd gathered at 10 am and walked to Çağlayan square, where the crowd observed a minute of silence for "those who lost their lives in the struggle for democracy."
Tuncel: Kurds determined to keep culture and language
Halil Aksoy, DTP Istanbul province chair made a speech, after which Istanbul DTP MP Sebahat Tuncel said that local election results had shown that Kurds were not willing to give up their language or culture, and that the will of the Kurdish people had to be taken into account.
"The address for the (solution of the) Kurdish question is Öcalan. If you want peace, do not miss this opportunity. Rather than advertising intentions, suggest projects. If you do not have projects, we do."
Other speeches were made by Nilgün Yurdalan of the Democratic Free Women's Movement, Sultan Ana of the Peace Mothers' Initiative and Bilgi Tağaç of the Socialist Platform of the Oppressed (ESP).
Ayna: Turkey is ignoring unilateral ceasefire
Then Ayna spoke, criticising the fact that "despite the decision of the PKK to announce a unilateral ceasefire, around 20 ground and 7 air operations were carried out in the last month. 12 soldiers, village guards and 17 guerillas were killed."
"One side insists on peace and silences guns as a contribution to a solution, while the other side uses the opportunity to attack from behind."
Ayna reminded the crowd that the unilateral ceasefire announced by the PKK would end next week, at the beginning of June. "Now the PKK will say, we stuck to the decision, but they did not stop operations, what will we say? There are two things we can say, one is, 'continue the ceasefire', the second is, 'you are right.' We want to say the first but it must be based on something. Everyone has to wake up. An environment for peace has to be created. They are talking about 'individual rights'. When you say 'Kurdish', a people, not individuals come to mind."
Ayna called for the constitutional safeguarding of the right of the Kurdish people to their identity and for Kurdish to be used as a language in education. Otherwise, she argued, Kurdish identity was being denied.
Support by other organisations
Ayna's speech was followed by a concert by Koma Agire Jiyan. Then Levent Tüzel, chair of the Labour Party (EMEP), Sevim Belli, chair of the Socialist Party, Muzaffer Kaya, representative of the Socialist Solidarity Platform (SODAP), Rıdvan Turan of the Socialist Democracy Party (SDP), and Hakan Öztürk of the Workers' Movement Party (EHP) made speeches.
The rally was further supported by the Human Rights Association (İHD), the Feminist Collective, the Socialist Labour Movement (SEH), the Istanbul platform of the KESK trade union federation, and other parties and NGOs.
Second rally in Van
Another rally was held in Van, eastern Turkey, where party co-chair Ahmet Türk spoke. He said, "We are being called to court for defending freedoms. We are a party which has always called for a solution to the Kurdish question within Turkey. This is the decision and mentality of Ergenekon." (BÇ/AG)
