Turkish regime should focus on peace at home rather than posturing about peace abroad

NATO member Turkey has a repressive war-criminal regime. But it currently has an unprecedented chance for peace. And it should focus on taking that with both hands rather than posturing about peace abroad.

The main opponent of Turkish state repression has unilaterally laid down its arms

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its allies in Syria were at the centre of the fight against Daesh (Isis/Isil), and were pivotal in defeating it. But because the Turkish state had repressed Kurdish people for many decades, the PKK began a campaign of armed resistance in the 1980s. There were increasing hopes for peace until Turkey’s war criminal leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ended peace talks in 2015. But in February this year, imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan unilaterally called for the organisation to lay down its arms. And now, the group has announced it will disband.

The UN, the EU, and Turkish politicians have welcomed the PKK’s move. But Erdoğan is moving slowly, despite calls for his regime to show some good will by, at the very least, releasing prominent political prisoners. As Prison Insider reports:

Türkiye has the highest incarceration rate and the largest prison population of all Council of Europe member States. Its prison population has grown significantly over the past two decades.

Under two decades of Erdoğan’s increasingly authoritarian rule, the imprisonment of dissidents has increased significantly:

Roughly 58,000 people were incarcerated in 2000. The country now holds more than 300,000 prisoners.

In particular:

Since the failed coup of 2016 and the subsequent declared state of emergency, a growing number of people have been sentenced under the Anti-Terror Law, originally introduced in 1991. These prisoners include outspoken critics of the government, political opponents, activists, journalists, lawyers and Kurdish advocates. More than 10% of the prison population are estimated to fall into this category.

Peacemaking in Turkey for Ukraine and Russia. What about for Turkey itself?

On 15 May, Turkey hosted Ukrainian and Russian representatives for peace talks. But the key question is, will the Turkish regime actually opt for peace at home as well? Now that the PKK has taken the first step, will there be reciprocation?

There are numerous reasons why ending its own decades-long conflict once and for all would be beneficial for Turkey. And the PKK has firmly placed the ball in Erdoğan’s court. So will he keep posturing as a peacemaker internationally while repressing his own citizens? Or will he actually make a change himself? Because this is a massive opportunity for Turkey. But offering firm democratic guarantees and following through isn’t exactly what Erdoğan’s about.

The international community must insist that the Turkish regime takes this chance. And if it doesn’t, there must be serious diplomatic consequences.