Support continues for the “Call for Peace and Democratic Society” announced to the public on February 27 by Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan. The strongest supporters of the process initiated under Öcalan’s leadership are families who have lost loved ones in the conflict. 

 

Despite PKK’s ceasefire and dissolution decisions following Öcalan’s call, Turkey’s attacks persist, weakening the Kurdish people’s trust in the government.

 

Hurşe Gürdal, who lost her husband and son in the clashes, expects an end to attacks and concrete steps from the state for a lasting peace and solution.

 

HER HUSBAND AND SON’S STORIES

 

Hurşe Gürdal was born in Oremar village, part of the Gever (Yüksekova) district of Colemêrg (Hakkari). At age six, her family moved to Zerene hamlet in the same village. She married her relative, Devali Gürdal, and lived there for over 30 years. The couple had seven children.

 

Gürdal said her husband joined the Kurdish freedom struggle under state pressure. Her first loss in the struggle was her husband, Devali Gürdal, who died in 1985 during a clash in the Cilo region while he was a member of HRK. After his death, the family faced intensified threats and torture by soldiers and militias, forcing them to relocate to Gever.

 

Nine years after her husband’s death, her son Macit Gürdal (Zınar Gever) joined the PKK in 1994. He also lost his life that same year in the Çarçella-Zagros area.

 

‘AFTER EVERYTHING WE’VE LIVED THROUGH, WE HAVE NO TRUST’

 

Despite all the pain, Hurşe Gürdal stresses their continued insistence on peace: “We have suffered every kind of pain imaginable. Dozens of my family members have died during the conflict. That is why peace must be established. The world needs relief and peace. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan must take concrete steps regarding the process that was started. A process began, but no real steps have followed. Will peace come without any concrete action? After all we’ve seen and lived through, we have no trust in the government. No concrete steps mean I can’t understand or trust.”

 

‘ÖCALAN SHOULD COME TO PARLIAMENT’

 

Gürdal emphasizes the release of political prisoners as a key step the government must take: “All innocent political prisoners must be freed. Our demands are clear and obvious. They should open the prison doors. Leader Öcalan should come to parliament and speak. We want to see this among the concrete steps. Like other leaders, he must be able to freely express his ideas. How much longer will this process continue with war and bloodshed? All these sacrifices must not be for nothing. These sacrifices weren’t paid for unconditionally. They were paid for a free life and peace, just like other peoples, religions, and differences.”

 

‘WE WANT A FREE LIFE’

 

Criticizing authorities for not taking concrete steps, Gürdal said: “Don’t they ask themselves? Were all these deaths for nothing? Both sides have suffered so much pain, don’t they ask why? The only reason the Kurdish side has suffered so much is to live freely. After such heavy sacrifices, won’t the Kurds be given any rights? Instead of thinking about revenge, we still stand for peace despite everything. We are not a people who end with death or killing. We are spread all over the world. War won’t lead anywhere, and Kurds are not a people who can be ended by war. All Kurds should live freely, have their own parliament where they can express their views and ideas, and be able to live their language and culture freely.”

 

‘WITHOUT UNITY, NO ONE WILL MOVE FOR KURDS’

 

Hurşe Gürdal says the conditions for Abdullah Öcalan to live and work freely must be ensured, and armed Kurdish youth should return home to live freely. She expressed trust only in Öcalan regarding the current process: “We trust Mr. Öcalan. Hopefully, they won’t try to deceive us like a hundred years ago. But in return, we must be united. Kurds in Syria, Iran, Iraq, and Turkey must unite. Without unity, we can’t get anywhere. No one will lift a finger for Kurds if they aren’t united. The path to peace passes through Kurdish unity. Since losing my husband and son, I have stayed committed to this decision for 37 years. I will remain determined until the very end. As the Kurdish people, we will not give up this struggle until we reach our goal.”

 

‘THEY SHOULD STOP THE WAR’

 

Ending her speech by reacting to Turkey’s attacks on the Başurê Kurdistan region, Gürdal concluded: “They said PKK should lay down arms, and PKK ended armed struggle. But what will the state do? What steps will it take? As we call for peace, they insist on war. Peace cannot be achieved like this. They should stop the war and take steps for this people. We want nothing but peace.”

 

MA / Mazlum Engindeniz