Turkey’s Kurds excluded from post-coup national unity
Turkey’s Kurds, largely excluded from efforts at national unity after the failed coup, have appealed for reconciliation and revival of talks to end the Kurdish conflict.
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey — Tens of thousands of people flocked to Station Square in Diyarbakir, Turkey’s largest Kurdish-majority city, July 31 for the biggest gathering there since a twin bomb attack bloodied a pre-election rally of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) last year. For the first time since the deadly attack, the HDP held a rally at the venue to denounce the July 15 coup attempt, but to also warn Ankara against straying from the path of democracy.
Months-long clashes between Kurdish militants and the security forces have left Diyarbakir a wounded city, with the HDP ostracized and snubbed by the government in Ankara. Still, rally-goers vocally condemned the coup bid against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), brandishing banners that urged both “democratic resistance” against the coup and “radical democracy” in its aftermath.
With enthusiasm written all over his face, rally-goer Nevzat Ozgen told Al-Monitor, “Lending a shoulder to the democracy camp and being part of it is a duty for anyone who calls himself a human. I’m here to say no to coups and wars in our region. I’m here in the name of democracy, freedoms, humanity and living [peacefully] side by side.”
The aftermath of the failed putsch has seen daily anti-coup rallies across Turkey, and the toxic climate between the AKP and the opposition has thawed to some extent amid universal condemnation of the coup. The HDP, however, has been excluded from a number of initiatives to forge national unity, including a meeting Erdogan convened with opposition leaders in his palace and a big rally scheduled for Aug. 7 in Istanbul. Similarly, Erdogan has withdrawn libel cases against people accused of “insulting” him, excluding HDP members.
