Author: EutccAdmin

The Annual International Conference on the EU, Turkey, the Middle East and the Kurds was hosted by the EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC) in cooperation with the Left Group, the Greens-European Free Alliance (GREENS/EFA) and the Groups of the Free Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D). The conference was successfully held on 26^th and 27^th of March 2025 in the European Parliament in Brussels.

At a time when wars and political uncertainty are increasing in the world and the Middle East is being reshaped, important steps are being taken towards a political solution to the Kurdish question in Turkey. Kurdish political leader Abdullah Öcalan’s historic call, on 27 February 2025, for peace and a democratic society offers a unique moment to untie the Gordian knot not only for Turkey but for the entire region. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party responded promptly with a unilateral ceasefire. The task now is to create the appropriate legal and political foundations to bring this process to a sustainable peace. The involvement of Öcalan in the peace process is crucial for its success. After more than 25 years in prison, his release would not only uphold his fundamental rights but also signal a commitment to addressing the needs and rights of the Kurdish community.

Therefore, we demand:

• An end to Turkey’s attacks on Northern Syria and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq as violation of international law
• An end to the appointment of trustees by the Turkish Ministry of the Interior
• The immediate introduction of political and legal measures to progress the initiated process
• Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan – indispensable for him to be able to fulfil his role in this process adequately
•  

A peaceful and democratic regional process, which will have far-reaching global implications, is only possible with broad support.  We therefore call on the European Union and its institutions as well as the Council of Europe, to:

• Recognise the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria as an indispensable democratic determinant of a united plural Syria and to strengthen it accordingly
• Enforce the immediate implementation of the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Abdullah Öcalan
• Use all mechanisms to strengthen the process for a political solution to the Kurdish question and democratisation of Turkey and the Middle East
• Remove the Kurdistan Workers’ Party from the terror list to send positive signals in favour of the ongoing process

EU Turkey Civic Commission
www.eutcc.net
Twitter: @EUTCC1
Facebook: Eu Turkey Civic Commission
Instagram: @eutcc1

Our PR: Mr Öcalan’s statement: A Momentum for Peace and Democracy 

This momentum must be adequately recognised. The European Union and its institutions, in particular the European Parliament and the Council of Europe, should now make every effort to strengthen the process. This includes engagement to ensure that Abdullah Öcalan can freely practice his leadership role in the ongoing political process.

http://eutcc.net/?p=1981

Mr Öcalan’s Call for Peace and a Democratic Society 

Just as every contemporary organisation and party whose existence has not been forcibly ended would voluntarily do, gather your congress and take the decision to integrate with the state and society: all groups must lay down their arms, and the PKK must dissolve itself.

Human Rights Watch: Use Call to Halt Violence as Catalyst to End Right Abuses

The landmark call on February 27, 2025, to end a decades-long armed insurgency against the Turkish state should be a catalyst to end its abusive use of terrorism charges to criminalize and silence government critics including politicians, journalists, lawyers, and activists.

DEM Party’s Statement on wave of arrests against HDK 

AKP government is threatening Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK) and its components with baseless accusations and imprisonment. 

Statement by Congress of Local and Regional Authorities Co-Rapporteurs David Eray and Bryony Rudkin on the dismissal of Abdullah Zeydan, Mayor of Van and member of the Turkish delegation to the Congress

We reiterate our call to the Turkish authorities to stop this practice and resume the political dialogue with the Congress rapporteurs to ensure the effective implementation of past recommendations.

EU Turkey Civic Commission

www.eutcc.net

Twitter: @EUTCC1

Facebook: Eu Turkey Civic Commission

Instagram: @eutcc1  

Dear Sir or Madam,

Please find below our current newsletter. 

Kind regards 

Prof. Kariane Westrheim 

Chairperson 

Statement by Human Rights Watch

A drone strike by the Türkiye-Syrian National Army (SNA) coalition that hit a Kurdish Red Crescent ambulance on January 18, 2025, in northern Syria is an apparent war crime

Statement by DEM Party’s İmralı delegation on their second meeting with Kurdish Political Leader Abdullah Öcalan

This process will help everyone, all of us, live together and freely. With the hope that this will be made possible, we look forward to the valuable contributions of all social segments.

Turkey records highest-ever femicide rate in 2024

Turkey’s We Will Stop Femicides Platform reported 394 femicides in 2024, the highest recorded. The group criticized government policies, highlighted rising rates, and called for action on gun control, impunity, and transparency in official femicide data.

BİA Media Monitoring 2024 Annual Report

The BİA Media Monitoring Report reveals that at least 25 journalists and five media outlets were attacked in 2024, while 82 media representatives, mostly from the MHP and affiliated political groups, were threatened in an environment of judicial inaction.

Turkey ranks 158th out of 180 countries in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). 

—
EU Turkey Civic Commission
www.eutcc.net
Twitter: @EUTCC1
Facebook: Eu Turkey Civic Commission
Instagram: @eutcc1