The final declaration of the conference titled 'The road to peace: Memory and Justice,' held on June 21–22 in Amed (Diyarbakır) by the Human Rights Association (IHD), has been made public. A press meeting was held at the IHD Amed branch to announce the declaration, with the participation of IHD co-chair Hüseyin Küçükbalaban.

Küçükbalaban said that they listened to the families and civil society organizations, and that the need for peace was once again strongly felt. Highlighting that the families and victims once again made it clear what steps need to be taken by all parties, Küçükbalaban said: "We have seen and witnessed that some parties have taken important steps over the past eight months. However, we also see that the state has yet to take any serious steps that are visible to society. Despite Devlet Bahçeli’s symbolic gestures, his statements about extending a hand and his remarks that the dove of peace cannot fly with one wing, it is clear that the government has not taken any meaningful initiative at this point."

Abdullah Öcalan’s 'Call for Peace and a Democratic Society' was followed by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) declaring a ceasefire, explained Hüseyin Küçükbalaban. He said: "On May 12, the organization convened its congress and made the decision to disarm. However, the necessary steps to safeguard this process have not been taken. There were expectations for progress on the situation of seriously ill prisoners, political prisoners, and Mr. Öcalan’s conditions. But no concrete steps have been taken. Similarly, Devlet Bahçeli’s call for the establishment of a commission has not received any response so far. While we acknowledge that the move toward disarmament is important, we also see the end of violations of the right to life as vital. The media continue to report intensified attacks by the Turkish military in Southern Kurdistan (Başur). These attacks pose serious risks both to the PKK militants, who have declared a ceasefire and convened a disarmament congress, and to hopes for peace. New military operations, ongoing clashes, and further loss of life would only sabotage the process. The state must demonstrate a comprehensive political, military, and bureaucratic will to take steps toward building peace. At the very least, military operations must cease and a path towards political dialogue must be opened."

The final declaration was read by Ercan Yılmaz, Chairperson of the IHD Amed Branch.

Yılmaz explained that the conference was carried out with the participation of citizens affected by the conflict process, as well as numerous civil society organizations, professional chambers, researchers, human rights defenders, and academics working in various fields. He emphasized that this broad participation not only enabled an assessment of the current situation but also strengthened the conference’s capacity to bring forward proposals that could contribute meaningfully to peace.

Findings

Yılmaz outlined the identified issues as follows:

'' *Lack of truth and reckoning: The policy of impunity continues, and there has been no official confrontation with past violations.

*Continuation of security-oriented policies:  Despite the ongoing process, security-focused approaches and military operations have not been fully abandoned. These remain among the primary obstacles to social peace.

*Exclusion of civil society: Civil society organizations that possess knowledge, experience, and documentation about the conflict are not being adequately included in the ongoing process.

*Weak representation of women, youth, and diverse identity groups: Negotiation processes are often confined to narrow, male-dominated structures. The absence of a women’s perspective, in particular, leads to consequences that may jeopardize the process.

*Failure to document collective memory: The lack of documentation of witness testimonies obstructs the path toward confronting the past.

*Lack of a language of peace: The political authorities, especially media outlets close to the government, use a tone that is far removed from the language of peace, undermining public trust in the process.''

Recommendations

Ercan Yılmaz also shared the key proposals that emerged from the conference:

"* In order to achieve lasting social peace, gatherings should be organized where all communities affected by the conflict are represented. Special focus should be placed on initiatives that foster mutual understanding between social groups often labeled as being from “opposing neighborhoods.”

* The release of seriously ill and political prisoners, who are among the consequences of the unresolved Kurdish question, requires urgent action by the parliament. Legal practices that violate the principle of equality, particularly those found in the Anti-Terror Law and the Execution of Sentences Law, must be eliminated.

* The release of public officials currently held by the PKK would contribute to the healthy progress of the peace process.

* Rulings issued by the European Court of Human Rights and the Constitutional Court of Turkey that confirm rights violations must be implemented without delay to uphold the principle of legal security and to guarantee the right to a fair trial.

* Civil society actors must be recognized as legitimate stakeholders and actively included in the process.

* Independent truth commissions should be established. State archives must be opened to researchers, and the testimonies of victims should be documented.

* Conditions must be created to enable citizens who have been displaced to return to their villages.

* Public sector workers dismissed by emergency decrees should be reinstated, and legal security must be ensured.

* Women’s equal participation in peace processes must be guaranteed.

* The Diyarbakir No. 5 Prison Memory Museum must be completed and opened to the public as soon as possible.

* Mother tongue and cultural rights must be constitutionally guaranteed, based on the principle of equal citizenship.

* The appointment of trustees that violate the right to vote and be elected must be reversed, and elected mayors should be reinstated to their positions.

In his closing remarks, Ercan Yılmaz added: “The testimonies of relatives of the victims have once again revealed the urgent need for a new social foundation rooted in truth and justice. Contributions from participants across different fields throughout the conference made it clear that peace is not only a political issue but also a deeply social one. The breadth of participation and the diversity of perspectives expressed have demonstrated the need for discussions on conflict resolution to be conducted on the basis of pluralism."