ANKARA – DEM Party Women’s Assembly Spokesperson Halide Türkoğlu emphasized that women will lead efforts in the newly proposed parliamentary commission based on their experiences in peacebuilding. “By expanding our organization and raising the women’s struggle, we will build a free and equal life,” she said.
At a press conference held ahead of the Women’s Assembly meeting at the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party headquarters, Halide Türkoğlu began by commemorating those who lost their lives in the Suruç Massacre. “We will continue the fight for true justice, not just for Suruç, but for everyone,” she said, reaffirming a commitment to the memory of the 33 youth killed by ISIS in 2015.
CONDEMNATION OF ATTACKS ON WOMEN IN SYRIA
Halide Türkoğlu drew attention to recent attacks in Syria, where Alevi and Druze women have been targeted by forces affiliated with the Syrian Interim Government. She warned that these massacres are part of a broader effort to impose a sectarian, militaristic, and patriarchal nation-state model. “The goal is to suffocate the free and equal life being built under women’s leadership in North and East Syria. To remain silent in the face of these attacks is to be complicit,” she stated.
A HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY FOR PEACE
Referring to the recent weapon destruction ceremony led by the Peace and Democratic Society Group and the video message from Abdullah Öcalan, Halide Türkoğlu said this marks a critical turning point. “This is not just about silencing weapons, it is a historical opportunity to make peace speak,” she said. She emphasized the need to lift oppression on Kurdish identity, language, and existence through persistent democratic struggle.
Halide Türkoğlu also underlined the importance of forming a parliamentary commission to resolve the Kurdish issue through legal and political means. She said the commission must work with a deep understanding of women’s experiences in peace processes.
CRITICISM OF NEW GENDERED LEGISLATION
Halide Türkoğlu criticized recent government regulations concerning working mothers, calling them patriarchal and exclusionary. “Instead of introducing free public childcare, a demand women have raised for years, the government proposes half-time work for parents. This continues to burden women with childcare and isolate them from professional and social life,” she explained.
Halide Türkoğlu concluded by reaffirming the women’s movement’s determination: “We will fulfill our responsibilities in this process, build an honorable peace, and never give up expanding our areas of struggle. Every murdered woman is our rebellion. With the philosophy of Jin, Jiyan, Azadî (Women, life, freedom) we will build a free and equal life.”