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Kurds Renounce War in Turkey [1]
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Date: 2025-07-14
Kurds have been fighting the racist Turkish government since 1978, first seeking independence, then human rights within Turkey. Their movement has morphed from Marxist terrorism to a human rights struggle, which has now renounced violence officially. Turkey was engaged in terrorism against Kurds, killing 40,000 of them, and has made their language and even their existence illegal, but has gradually relented on the worst of these laws. In response, the PKK dissolved itself in February 2025.
Some 30 PKK fighters destroyed their weapons at a ceremony in Iraqi Kurdistan in a move to end long-term conflict in the region. The ceremony marks a turning point in the transition of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK/Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê) from armed insurgency to democratic politics Following Friday's ceremony, a top PKK commander said Turkey must release jailed PKK founder to ensure the success of the peace process. Ensuring Leader Apo's physical freedom legally, via legal guarantees, is essential…This is our primary condition and demand. The Turkish state needs to grant us the right to enter democratic politics… We are ready and willing to go to Turkey to engage in democratic politics…to pursue our struggle for freedom and democracy, and to promote democratic socialism in Turkey PKK Commander Besê Hozat Kurdish PKK militants burn weapons, beginning disarmament | REUTERS
There is a lot of traffic about this story in Turkish on Bluesky, some in Kurdish or German or Spanish or Swedish, and also this.
x Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is making the biggest gamble of his career to save his political skin. His plan? To bring the large Kurdish minority onto his side by giving a place in Turkish politics to the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK.
[image or embed] — POLITICO Europe (@politico.eu) July 10, 2025 at 2:23 AM
x Swedish journalist Joakim Medin, accused by Turkish authorities of PKK membership (🙄), is released. Congrats to Swedish civil society and foreign policy establishment for getting him released. Reminder: thousands of political prisoners remain in 🇹🇷, including main Erdoğan challenger Imamoğlu.
[image or embed] — Markus Drake (@markusdrake.bsky.social) May 16, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Reporters Without Borders @reportrarutangranser.se· 1mo
Joakim Medin is on his way to Sweden.-Fantastic news, we are so relieved, says Erik Larsson, spokesperson for Reporters Without Borders.
Swedish PM says jailed reporter on his way home from Turkey
Medin, who was in Turkey to cover protests against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu's arrest, was charged with "insulting the president" and "membership of a terrorist organization and jailed pending trial. Turkish authorities said Medin was among 15 suspects identified for organizing, promoting, or being linked to a demonstration in Stockholm in 2023, where a mannequin resembling President Tayyip Erdogan was hung outside the city hall.
Other human rights issues remain.
Turkey wants to join the EU, but has been going about it exactly backwards.
Accession of Turkey to the European Union
It is still illegal to talk of the Armenian genocide.
The historian Ronald Grigor Suny summarizes the main argument as "there was no genocide, and the Armenians were to blame for it". A 2014 poll of 1,500 people conducted by EDAM, a Turkish think tank, found that nine percent of Turkish citizens recognize the genocide.
Turks Lean Negative on Erdoğan, Give National Government Mixed Ratings
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