AMED – Disabled individuals shared their views on the new process toward resolving the Kurdish issue, emphasizing that war increases the number of disabled people and highlighting the importance of peace. 

 

At the “Peace and Democratic Society Conference for the Disabled”, organized by Amed (Diyarbakır) Metropolitan Municipality’s Department of Disabled and Elderly Services, topics such as building a democratic society, justice and equal citizenship, and social peace and inclusivity were discussed. 

 

Abdulmecit Yılmaz, Chair of the Disabled Federation, stated that those opposing peace are the biggest obstacles to it. He drew attention to the situation of disabled and ill prisoners, noting that no progress was made regarding them in the recently passed penal reform. Yılmaz emphasized that the failure to release ill prisoners harms the peace process. 

 

Yılmaz explained that war increases disability through its social, economic, and legal impacts. He pointed out that defence budgets are funded by cutting rights allocated to disabled people. In Turkey, the budget for disabled services is below 2 per cent, while defence spending remains high. Yılmaz noted that if peace is achieved, disabled citizens’ living conditions would improve and prosperity would increase. He called on all parties to respond positively to the peace call from İmralı and said the Disabled Federation will fulfil its responsibilities in this regard. 

 

Disabled citizen Mahmut Koluman criticized the state’s failure to respond to Kurdish Leader Abdullah Öcalan’s call for peace and a democratic society. He stated that approximately 3.5 trillion dollars were spent during the conflict, and that amount could have been used to rebuild the devastated state. Koluman urged all people to raise their voices for peace.

 

Hüseyin Ateşer, Chair of the Disabled Confederation, also stressed that war increases the number of disabled people, which deeply saddens them. He stated that establishing a peace environment in Turkey would be beneficial for both the country and disabled individuals in the long term. Ateşer highlighted that resources lost to war should instead be directed to social aid and disadvantaged groups.

 

MA / Mujdat Can – Fethi Balaman