Turkey\’s Kurdish regions not yet ready to trust the peace process

Turkey’s PKK Disarmament Ceremony Sparks Uncertain Peace in Hakkari

On Friday, Kurdish rebels of the PKK symbolically destroyed weapons across the Iraq‑Turkey border, an event framed as the first step in a new peace process. Despite the ceremony’s grandeur, residents of Hakkari, a Kurdish‑majority town only 50 kilometres from Iraq, remain skeptical of lasting calm.

Local Fears Echo Past Tensions

• Intense police presence patrols the streets, discouraging locals from speaking to reporters.
• One tea‑house worker, who refused to be filmed, warned that any statement could lead to tomorrow’s punishment, citing failures of earlier peace attempts.

Conflict’s Human Toll

The war has claimed around 50,000 civilian lives and 2,000 soldiers, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Resident Voices Demand Structural Change

Mehmet Duman, a 26‑year‑old restaurant employee, raised eyebrows as he recounted years of segregation, beatings, and persecution simply for being Kurdish. He urged the state to halt this oppression and to align its actions with the PKK’s symbolic weapon destruction.

A Symbolic Victory Seeks a Graver Future

“Turkey has won,” Erdogan declared Saturday, a day after the PKK’s symbolic disarmament. He followed up, claiming “eighty‑six million citizens have won.” While opening a peace dialogue with the PKK, he has continued to clamp down on opposition parties.

Crackdown on the Main Opposition Party

• Hundreds of CHP members, a secular party descended from Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, have been arrested, including the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu.
• Opposition media, such as the Sozcu channel, has faced 16 fines and suspensions since January, forcing it into silence.

Opposition Analyst’s Concern

Political analyst Berk Esen noted that since the peace process began, Turkey has become “much more authoritarian.” He warned that the disarmament of a terrorist organization might not lead to democratization or social peace.

Erdogan’s Reassuring Stance

During his AKP party’s plenary session, Erdogan insisted, “We know what we are doing. No one should worry, be afraid, or question anything. Everything we are doing is for Turkey, our future, and our independence.”