NEWS CENTER - Nedim Seven, one of the 30 people who burned their weapons in support of the Peace and Democratic Society Process, said, “If Turkey had taken steps over the past year, we would now be engaged in democratic politics in Amed and Ankara.”

 

Nedim Seven, one of the 30 members of the Peace and Democratic Society Group who destroyed their weapons in a ceremony on 11 July 2025 to help build momentum for the process that began with Kurdish Leader Abdullah Öcalan’s call, spoke to Ajansa Welat reporter Nedim Oruç on the first anniversary of the weapon-burning ceremony.

 

Seven pointed to the state’s failure to take any steps over the past year, saying that if serious measures had been taken, members of the Peace and Democratic Society Group would now be engaged in democratic politics in Amed, Dêrsim, Ankara and Istanbul. Recalling the historic call made by Kurdish Leader Abdullah Öcalan on 27 February 2025, Seven went on to list the steps taken by the Freedom Movement. Stating that the state has failed to build a positive language of peace during the intervening period, Seven said: “Yes, for the first time, a commission has been established in Parliament. There is around 70 to 80 percent public support for the process, but the state still has problems in understanding the process. The issue is still being approached too narrowly. Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş still uses terms such as ‘terror-free Turkey’ and ‘terror-free region’. There is an issue that has persisted for nearly a century. It is a matter of the Kurdish people’s identity, culture, language and the recognition of Kurdistan. This language will not lead to a solution. It must be changed as soon as possible.”

 

Emphasizing that the Kurdish Leader Abdullah Öcalan is the principal interlocutor in the process, Seven added: “The Apoist Movement has taken historical steps. However, Turkey has responded with only very limited measures. While the Apoist Movement has taken serious, fearless, and strategic steps, Turkey is moving extremely slowly. It keeps delaying the steps it needs to take and acts in line with its own interests.” Stressing that there has been no precedent anywhere in the world for a weapon-burning ceremony, Seven continued: “This ceremony demonstrated our determination, our seriousness, our feelings and our commitment. We remain on this path and continue to stand by Leader Apo’s strategic initiative. In contrast, the steps taken by the state have been very slow. However, the establishment of the commission and its recognition of  Leader Apo as an interlocutor are important.”

 

‘A SOLUTION THAT WILL AFFECT THE MIDDLE EAST’

 

Referring to the concrete steps that the state has yet to take following the historic call made by Kurdish Leader Abdullah Öcalan, Seven stated: “Leader Apo’s freedom, security and health should have been guaranteed. It was emphasized at the PKK’s 12th Congress that Leader Apo is the chief negotiator. That decision conveyed the message that Leader Apo represents all of us. How is Leader Apo supposed to conduct negotiations under 27 years of isolation? By now, conditions should have been established to allow Leader Apo to live and work freely. We call these freedom laws. Freedom laws begin with Leader Apo. Devlet Bahçeli says that Leader Apo’s status should be clarified, but those words have not  been put into practice.”

 

Drawing attention to the fact that the process cannot move forward in a healthy manner unless Abdullah Öcalan’s physical freedom is secured, Seven said: “How can this process move forward by meeting with Leader Apo only once every 45 days or every two months? We are talking about an issue that has persisted for a century. This is a solution that will affect the entire Middle East. There has been no meeting with Leader Apo for 47 days. Under these conditions, democratic politics cannot function. Leader Apo must be free 24 hours a day and able to meet with whomever he wishes. Without this, the process cannot move forward.”

 

‘NOTHING HAS REACHED US’

 

Referring to the legal regulations expected to be introduced in Parliament as part of the process, Seven said: “For around 45 days, Turkish television channels have been talking about framework laws, saying they are about to be introduced. They say they will be submitted to Parliament before it goes into recess. They keep discussing these matters among themselves. Aren’t we also parties to these legal regulations? Yet nothing has reached us so far. We have not received any assessment from Leader Apo since 25 May. We do not know who has met with the Leader since 25 May. They make all the decisions among themselves and then say, ‘We will move the process forward.’ Whatever these legal regulations are called, they must be shared with the parties concerned. They say they will be passed before Parliament goes into recess. But we need to know what they contain. How can we assess something we know nothing about? How can we accept it? There are thousands of forces in the mountains of Kurdistan. There are thousands of people connected to them. There are tens of thousands of people in Kurdistan, Turkey and abroad. How can a solution be achieved without involving all of them?”

 

‘WE WILL BECOME MILLIONS’

 

Seven said that the steps taken by the Peace and Democratic Society Group, which burned its weapons, have gone unanswered for the past year. Seven added: “By failing to reciprocate the steps we have taken, they are telling us, ‘Go and pick up your weapons again.’ We have been waiting for the conditions for democratic politics to be established and for the necessary legal reforms to be introduced for the past year. We have no alternative to this. We are extending a hand of brotherhood, but it has not been reciprocated. If space is not created for democratic politics, the tens of thousands in the mountains of Kurdistan will become millions.” Stating that the Peace and Democratic Society Group has spent the past year organizing itself around the Peace and Democratic Society Manifesto, Seven said: “We have undergone change and transformation within the framework of a democratic  mindset. We are preparing ourselves. But if no path to a solution is opened, no one will willingly go to prison. In the past, many peace and solution groups came, but they were imprisoned. No one should expect us to do the same. We do not expect the republic to change completely overnight. We will continue to follow the path shown to us by Leader Apo until the very end. We call on the AKP and state officials to act with seriousness. We hope that serious steps will be taken. The Kurdish people and their friends should rest assured.”