The possibility of social peace has been discussed for two years, and various steps have been taken. However, the mourning at Koşuyolu Park reminds us that the past is not completely behind us.
Photo: Yekta Armanc Hatipoğlu / niha+
The city is quite still for a Friday. Yet, upon entering Koşuyolu Park, it is as if the entire movement of the city has flowed here. Hundreds of people, families of guerrillas, their friends, comrades…
Small groups of people are in different areas of the park. Some are talking to each other, some are showing others something on their phone, and others sit quietly for a long time. Despite the mobility in the area, there are no loud conversations.
The news of guerrillas who had earlier lost their lives was received these days. They are being mourned these days, when the possibility of social peace is being discussed.
Mass condolence gatherings were held in İstanbul, Van, Diyarbakır, Mardin, and many other places. Among them was Koşuyolu Park in Diyarbakır’s Bağlar district. Condolence ceremonies for 49 PKK members were held there.
Diyarbakır, in the last two years since peace was discussed, is more hopeful than in previous periods. However, there is also doubt. The insecurity created in past years, the state’s delayed steps, and the fact that politicians, especially Selahattin Demirtaş, are still being held in prison add doubt to the hope.
Almost two years have passed since the President of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Devlet Bahçeli, shook hands with Tuncer Bakırhan, the Co-President of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Parti), in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) on October 1, 2024.
Most recently, on August 10th, the “Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration,” publicly known as the “Framework Law,” was accepted by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and published in the Official Gazette on August 18th.
Those who come to the condolence tents visit the families, then move on to other parts of the park. Food is distributed from hand to hand. Those present take on a part of the necessary tasks.
Almost everyone has the same dignified expression on their faces. While condolences are offered to the families, alongside the sorrow, gratitude for the struggle their children endured is also palpable.
Families sit at a table, with photos of their children in front of them and a rose in front of each photo, accepting condolences amid chants of “Şehîd Namirin.” In a covered area featuring banners reading “Em şehîdên azadiyê bi bîr tînin,” signed by MEBYA-DER, and “Our martyrs are our honor,” in a covered area.
The photographs standing side by side depict different faces and different life stories, yet they are all united by the same struggle.
The police are there, too. Armored vehicles marked “TEM,” water cannons, police buses… Unlike what we’ve been used to in previous years, they’re waiting a little “further back.” Despite this, there’s a stark contrast between the armored vehicles and the condolence gathering inside the park. On one side, the state’s law enforcement apparatus; on the other, tables where families who have lost their children are sitting.
The possibility of social peace has been discussed for two years, and various steps have been taken. However, the mourning at Koşuyolu Park serves as a reminder that the past has not been fully left behind.
Photos: Yekta Armanc Hatipoğlu / Niha+
