'Wounds heal not by forgetting, but by facing them'

Click to read the article in Turkish

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Parliamentary Group Deputy Chair and Siirt MP Meral Danış-Beştaş held a press conference at the Parliament yesterday (November 22) and addressed the reporters about a series of current issues such as the economic crisis, the forthcoming minimum wage negotiations and the closure case against the HDP.

Speaking about male violence and women's movement in Turkey ahead of November 25 International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on Thursday, Danış-Beştaş said, "We are lucky to have the women's movement, we are lucky to have the resistance against violence. We, as the HDP Women's Assembly, welcome November 25 with the motto, 'We are everywhere against male-state violence, war, poverty'."

Raising concerns that "women are killed everyday", she recalled that Ayşegül Aydın, who had been in treatment at hospital since July 12, lost her life yesterday: "Every massacred woman is a reason for our revolt, she is our revolt. I would like to say it at every opportunity: We will not abandon the struggle against violence against women even for a moment."

MHP Burhaniye Chair's call

HDP's Danış-Beştaş also condemned the recent call of Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Burhaniye District Chair Murat Kurt to the panel discussion where HDP İstanbul MP Züleyha Gülüm will also speak on the occasion of the Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women:

"We have just received horrible information. There is a panel discussion about the struggle against violence against women in Burhaniye tomorrow. Our İstanbul MP Züleyha Gülüm will also talk there. The Burhaniye District Chair of the junior partner, Murat Kurt 'condemned' the panel. And he calls the Burhaniye Municipality to step back from this mistake.

"If the panel is not cancelled, he invites everyone who loves their homeland, their nation and their flag, along with all district chairs, in front of the Reha Yurdakul Cultural Center. This is racism, this is a call for lynching, this is an open call for committing crimes.

"I am calling out to the government and its junior partner from here: That panel will be held tomorrow and you are responsible for the tiniest incident that would occur there. The AKP-MHP alliance is responsible for it if anyone comes to the slightest harm."

'No making amends without facing'

Danış-Beştaş also mentioned CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's call for "making amends." The politician briefly said:

"One cannot even speak freely, let alone making amends. We expect it to be named. Making amends can be perceived as a call to forget the historicity and truth of what happened. What we say is that the first step is facing. There can be no amends without facing, it should begin there.

"Wounds heal not by forgetting, but by facing them. Facing is a must to start with a clean slate. The truth must be brought to light and a cooperation with the relevant experts is necessary to form a commission." (KÖ/SD)