Following the call of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, a ceremony to lay down arms was held in Şikefta Casenê (Jasana Cave) in the Silêmanî (Sulaymaniyah) countryside. Members of the Peace and Democratic Society Group, led by KCK Executive Council Co-Chair Bese Hozat, destroyed their weapons in response to Öcalan's call. Kurds also gathered around their screens to watch the ceremony, which was closely followed by the world. 

 

Wan (Van) citizens told us what do they think about the process. 

 

'IT WAS A HAPPY AND SAD MOMENT'

 

Narin Aydın stressed she still had concerns about the ‘solution process,’ and said that they were both sad and happy while watching the ceremony. Narin Aydın stated that they only trusted themselves in this process: "We want peace everywhere. From now on, the burden of this process will fall particularly on the shoulders of us women and our young friends." 

 

Hikmet Ayhan said that the success of the process would be good for both Kurds and Turks, added that he found the President's speech after the ceremony positive.  Ayhan emphasized that the process should now be discussed in Parliament:  "This cannot be achieved by simply laying down arms. Political prisoners must be released. There are thousands of innocent people inside. Justice must be ensured in Turkey. We must be very careful in this process." 

 

‘WE TRUST LEADER OCALAN’

 

Zahir Haykır said that the PKK's decision to lay down its arms was important but that the state also needed to take steps: "We were sad when the PKK laid down its arms, but Leader Abdullah Öcalan knows better. The President's statement was also good. Our responsibility in this process is to fully support them. All peoples must unite and build this peace together.” 

 

Gülizar Yükselen stated that they want peace: “We Kurds will fight harder for our rights and we will succeed.”

 

Abdulşakir Dilek stated that there is great unrest and high prices in the country, said that they want peace but do not want to be deceived like before. Dilek said, "Mutual steps are very important in this process. They emptied our village, beat us up, and we suffered a lot of oppression even though we had done nothing wrong, but we are expecting a result that will be worth it. We want the political prisoners to be released. It is time for the state to take action. Mr. Abdullah Öcalan has been doing his job for years and has fulfilled everything he has said. We are grateful to Leader Abdullah Öcalan and want him to be released. The thing I want most in the world is for these two peoples to make peace with each other." 

 

EMPHASIS ON LEGAL STEPS 

 

A young man named Burak Güzel said: “As the Kurdish people, we took the first step, and now we are waiting for them to take a step. The rights of the Kurds must be recognized.” Stating that women and young people should take the lead in the process, Guzel noted that the right to education in the mother tongue should also be granted. 

 

Bulbul Gokcenay, a mother, said: “We want peace and humanity. First, the people in prison must be released. We trust the process and believe it will definitely be successful.” 

 

Orhan Ozdemir criticised the government's authoritarian approach, saying, “This process will be difficult because the AKP has become totalitarian, but it will be good. This process must be carried out with official steps, not just words. This time, it is important for the state to be involved in the process.”