Discussions continue following the February 27 “Call for Peace and Democratic Society” made by Abdullah Öcalan, who has been held under severe isolation conditions in the Imralı F-Type High Security Prison for 26 years. The regulation of the right to hope is at the forefront of the steps that need to be taken for the process to move forward. However, the Turkish state has yet to take concrete steps in this regard.

Speaking to ANF on the “right to hope”, Murat Aba, representative of the Turkish Human Rights Foundation (TİHV) in Amed (tr: Diyarbakır), said: "What was the basis of the right to hope? There was a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) against the UK. The right to hope emphasizes that keeping a person sentenced to life imprisonment in prison without any hope of release constitutes torture and inhuman treatment. It tells us that there should be no punishment until death.

The Committee of Ministers also gave Turkey a deadline on this matter, and that deadline is about to expire. Unfortunately, Turkey has not taken any steps in this regard. In fact, Turkey is a member of international institutions. It is bound to the European Court of Human Rights and a member of the United Nations. Turkey must swiftly make a decision on this matter without delay and recognize the right to hope. Unfortunately, it is currently attempting to delay this."

Expressing that Turkey has been distancing itself from the requirements of a democratic society and the democratic world for a long time, Aba said:

“On June 26, the Day of Solidarity with Victims of Torture, we shared data on torture and ill-treatment. Turkey actually has the following fundamental problem: it tries to postpone all problems instead of trying to resolve them.

It seems to me that the institutions and officials in Turkey have failed to understand the process initiated by Devlet Bahçeli. Yet the ‘right to hope’ is a very fundamental right. It is a right against torture, but Turkey keeps trying to postpone it.

Unfortunately, Turkey has turned into a country with authoritarian tendencies. It tries to cover up problems by looking at everything through the lens of security.”

Stressing that the right to hope is also a right to life, Murat Aba continued, "Unfortunately, Turkey has been at the center of conflicts for a long time. This situation now disrupts Turkey's internal peace and tranquility. We are facing a new peace process. Recognizing the right to hope and taking steps towards it will actually increase people's confidence in this process.

To date, no significant steps have been taken toward a solution in Turkey. Any steps to be taken regarding the right to hope will consolidate the resolution process. Without such steps, the process would remain incomplete. Recognizing the right to hope will be an important step toward reconciliation within society.”