Tülay Hatimoğulları, co-chair of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, has criticised Turkey’s handling of the Kurdish issue, poverty, and gender inequality. Speaking at a Parliamentary group meeting on Tuesday 19 November, she called for democratic dialogue, lifting the continued conditions of isolation imposed on jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, and collective action to combat systemic violence against women.
Speaking on the eve of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Hatimoğulları emphasised that solving the Kurdish question requires inclusive dialogue and parliamentary debate. “We seek solutions in Ankara and Diyarbakır (Amed),” she said, referring to Turkey’s capital and largest Kurdish-majority city. “We envision it in Turkey, within an environment of equality and freedom. Let no one throw mud at our honourable struggle for peace—it will come back to haunt them,” she added.
Hatimoğulları criticised the 2025 budget, accusing the government of perpetuating economic and gender inequality. “For women, the budget allocates just 139.3 Turkish liras ($4) per person. With this, how will we combat violence against women?” she asked, condemning the government’s indifference to poverty.
She linked recent femicides in Turkey to broader systemic failings, saying: “395 women [in Turkey] were killed by men in 2024 alone. In October, 48 women were murdered, and 23 deaths remain suspicious. Calling for collective organisation to combat gender violence, she added: “The perpetrator is the patriarchal order itself.”
Addressing the oppression faced by Kurds and women, Hatimoğulları denounced the government’s appointment of trustees in Kurdish municipalities in lieu of democratically-elected pro Kurdish politicians. “Trusteeship is a political coup, an attack on our co-chair system and women-centred governance. They even shut down women’s centres,” she remarked. The Kurdish women’s “Jin Card” transport scheme in Mardin was cancelled under recent government-appointed trustees, she added.
The pro-Kurdih politician further called for the immediate end of Abdullah Öcalan’s detention in conditions of almost total isolation, asserting his pivotal role in peacebuilding. “For peace in our country and region, Öcalan must regain his freedom. Those attempting to spread lies about our stance on peace are sowing seeds of division,” she said, accusing the government of fostering hostility instead of addressing critical issues.
In further comments, Hatimoğulları criticised the government’s response to a recent tragedy where five children died in a fire in İzmir. “They treated it like a tabloid story, devoid of empathy. Who governs this country if not you? The poverty that led to this is your responsibility,” she said, holding the government accountable for rising inequality and poverty.
Concluding her speech, Hatimoğulları paid tribute to women resisting authoritarianism worldwide, making reference to three famous women who were assassinated by Dominican Republic dicator Rafael Trujillo during the 20th century. “From the Mirabal sisters to Kurdish women, we fight against the patriarchal capitalist system,” she said, urging women to take to the streets as part of a series of marches and demonstrations on 25 November for their rights and freedoms.
