ANKARA - Pointing out that there were intense violations of rights in many areas in Turkey in 2022, İHD Co-Chair Öztürk Türkdoğan said: "The Kurdish Question remains one of the main obstacles to Turkey's democratization."

 

The Human Rights Association (İHD) and the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) held a press conference at the İHD Headquarters for the 74th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, on the occasion of December 10 Human Rights Day and December 10-17 Human Rights Week. At the meeting, it shared the balance sheet they prepared on human rights violations in Turkey in 2022.

 

İHD Co-Chair Öztürk Türkdoğan and TİHV Board Member Nihat Bulut attended the meeting where posters “We defend freedom of expression” and “We defend peace against war” were hung.

 

'THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION IS THE KURDISH QUESTION'

 

Emphasizing that “the most important problem of our country is the Kurdish Question”, Türkdoğan continued: “The pressure on political parties continues. HDP's closure case continues. The Kurdish question remains as one of the main obstacles to Turkey's democratization. As rights defenders, we have always advocated a democratic, peaceful and just solution to the Kurdish problem. We insist on this. That's why we want the conflicts to stop right now. All parties should develop sincere and effective programs in order to strengthen, monitor and ensure social peace by making the state of non-conflict strengthened based on the negativities experienced with the establishment of a non-conflict environment. We say that democracy and human rights can be protected by bringing peace to these lands.”

 

Stating that the debt-based neoliberal economic policies and war and conflict expenditures cause the economic crisis, Türkdoğan said, “The cost of living, unemployment, poverty, insecurity and disorganization hit women, children, refugees and asylum seekers the most. Under these conditions, the vested rights of workers and laborers should not be touched, inflation figures should not be manipulated, the right to severance pay should not be touched, and workplace homicide should be prevented."