In a statement on Friday, the Peace Foundation criticized the Turkish Parliament’s “National Solidarity, Brotherhood, and Democracy Commission” restricting the Peace Mothers from speaking in Kurdish during the fifth meeting of the commission held on August 20.
In its statement titled “Mother tongue is a fundamental right,” the Peace Foundation noted that the process has passed some critical stages over the past 10 months, and that preventing the Peace Mothers from speaking Kurdish is not in line with the spirit of the peace process.
The statement noted that the commission meeting strengthened social legitimacy and created hope among different segments of society, while emphasizing that the rejection of Peace Mother Nezahat Teke’s request to speak in her mother tongue could undermine confidence in the process.
“The mother tongue is not only a fundamental human right, but also a central element in the resolution of the Kurdish question. The denial of this right during a session of peace talks is likely to undermine confidence in the peace process,” the statement underlined.
The Peace Foundation called on Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş to abandon this stance, which, it said, jeopardizes the negotiation and dialogue processes, and to take exemplary steps toward peace.
The Foundation stressed that the peace process can only progress in an environment where every individual is free to express themselves.
Source: ANF News
