https://www.change.org/tr/kampanyalar/adalet-ve-saygıya-çağrı-gezi-nin-temsil-ettiği-demokrasi-zemininde-buluşmak?utm_campaign=friend_inviter_chat&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition&utm_term=permissions_dialog_false
Gezi protests have produced a deep polarization within Turkish society due to the baffling reaction of the AKP government – a government which claimed the mantle of change since 2002. The demands of the protestors encompassed a potential for novel and democratic openings so far as the relationship between the state, local governments and citizens are concerned, but the government, rather than taking heed of this potential, chose to suppress it with the brutal use of the security apparatus. This heavy-handed reaction generated an unacceptable atmosphere of violence which poses a serious threat to the Kurdish peace process and more generally the future of democracy in Turkey.
We, the undersigned, believe that the solution to this crisis lies in the opening up of the channels of democratic deliberation to allow people to understand each other’s fears and concerns. And a genuine deliberation can only materialize in a setting where different groups in society are treated equally and considered to be of equal moral worth. In this sense, we think that a democratization initiative which includes the concrete proposals listed below can facilitate dialogue in society. Inspired by a vision of the extension of the realm of freedom, the proposed initiative suggests the following as “first steps” on the way to a more democratic Turkey:
Accepting decentralisation as the guiding principle for the solution of the Kurdish problem, which entails the removal of reservations to the European Charter of Local Self-Government; lowering the national electoral threshold of ten percent; introducing the legal right to mother tongue education
Abolishing the Law on Fight Against Terrorism which contradicts universal norms of criminal law and remains as a major obstacle to democratization; amending the Law on Assembly and Demonstrations to safeguard the democratic right to protest;
Enabling veiled women to stand for elections; amending the laws which restrict the participation of veiled women in the public sphere;
Enacting laws safeguarding the freedom of worship for Alevi citizens; granting legal status to Alevi houses of worship (cemevi) on an equal footing with mosques;
Initiating the legislative process that will protect non-Muslim Turkish citizens against racist and discriminatory language and actions;
Forsaking language and actions that target the lifestyles of particular sections of society; withdrawal of the state from areas that relate to individual rights and freedoms such as ethnic belonging, religious belief and gender; recognition of LGBT claims for equality and dignity;
Reconsidering the environmentally destructive development policies in accordance with the view that human beings are not the owners of nature but its part; establishing the legal framework that will guarantee public deliberation for environmental decisions and make decision-making processes transparent and participatory for broader sections of the society.
It is our conviction that Gezi protests are largely a matter of disagreement between the state and its citizens and can only be resolved through dialogue. Yet it is also important to note that the violence inflicted during the protests (which caused the death of five citizens) will render dialogue impossible unless those responsible for this are brought to justice in a way that would appease public conscience.
We sincerely hope that these measures can contribute to societal peace, hence should not be the victim of narrow party politics. It is in this sense that the concrete proposals listed above should be understood as a call for conscience and justice, and that the only resolution to current tensions lies in dialogue and deliberation.
Postscript: This statement is penned before the military coup in Egypt, which we condemn without any reservation. We believe that military coups are against the spirit of freedom and the struggle for democracy.
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