Assessing the 'Framework Law', academic Dr. Toros Korkmaz said that, despite its shortcomings, the legislation marks an important political rupture in the history of the Republic of Turkey. He stressed that its real significance lies in the fact that, after maintaining a denialist approach since the founding of the state, the state has for the first time been forced to directly recognise the Kurdish Freedom Movement as an interlocutor.
Three different approaches to the 'Framework Law'
Korkmaz said that three different approaches have emerged in Turkish politics around the Framework Law. The first comes from nationalist circles that regard the law as legitimising the PKK and dividing Turkey; the second comes from circles that accuse the Kurdish Freedom Movement and the DEM Party of surrendering to the state. The third approach, he said, views the 'Framework Law' as a legal basis for resolving the Kurdish question on the basis of equality, democracy and peace.
Korkmaz said he considered the third approach the most realistic, explaining that the main reason was the historical change in the state’s approach to the Kurdish question. Korkmaz added that, for the first time in its history, the Turkish state, which since the founding of the Republic had denied and rejected the existence and identity of the Kurds, had been forced to recognise the Kurdish Freedom Movement as an interlocutor.
He continued: "Although the articles of the 'Framework Law' use the concept of a ‘Turkey without terrorism’ and describe the PKK/KCK structures as terrorist organisations, ostensibly continuing to use the state’s classical security-oriented language, the same provisions in practical terms pave the way for thousands of political prisoners convicted of membership of the PKK and KCK in prisons, thousands of Kurdish Movement politicians and activists who were forced to go to Europe, and thousands of cadres, initially excluding senior PKK commanders in the Qandil Mountains, to return to Turkey and engage in politics.
The most problematic aspect of the text is that it makes the legal changes that would allow these qualified cadres to return and engage in politics conditional, first, on the PKK dissolving itself and surrendering its weapons. In my view, legislation is needed that would allow both developments to take place simultaneously once this condition has been fulfilled. The 'Framework Law' also says nothing about the legal status of Abdullah Öcalan, the founding leader of the PKK, or his ability to engage in politics under conditions of full freedom. This too needs to change."
Korkmaz added that "the 'Framework Law', which is the most important political development in Turkish politics, cannot be considered independently of the context shaped by international political dynamics. The Russia-Ukraine war, in which imperialist powers are engaged in a struggle for hegemony; the war between Israel and the United States and Iran; and, most recently, the NATO meeting held in Turkey in July have further increased Turkey’s geopolitical importance and strengthened the support that US President Trump, who himself has authoritarian tendencies like Erdoğan, has given to Turkey’s anti-democratic regime.
Therefore, the Kurdish Freedom Movement’s ability to withstand and maintain its existence in such an international political context, which strengthens the Turkish state and the Erdoğan regime, is a significant achievement that should not be underestimated."
Korkmaz underlined that "it is worth remembering that political gains are determined not by short-term tactical retreats or concessions, but by long-term, correct, determined and sustained strategies. For a strategy to succeed, actors who share similar ideals need to act together in coordination. In this regard, what needs to be done now is for left-wing, democratic and socialist political forces in Turkey to engage in political struggle alongside the Kurdish Freedom Movement on a third path, in the highest possible degree of coordination, without shying away from constructive criticism.
The extent to which the implementation and scope of the Framework Law can create an environment of genuine equality, freedom and peace will depend on the strength of the struggle waged. It is necessary to fight with this awareness in order to transform a state tradition that, since its foundation, has been accustomed to ruthless politics towards its peoples, regarding all kinds of intrigue and …