The Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) on Wednesday rejected accusations that it made a series of radical demands during parliamentary talks for the terror-free Türkiye initiative, which is aimed at ending the PKK terrorist group’s four-decade campaign of violence.
A statement from the party shut down claims from the Good Party (IP) that the DEM Party, which previously oversaw talks with the PKK’s jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan as part of the initiative, had pressed for controversial changes during meetings of the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission, the body tasked with supervising the process.
The allegations first surfaced after IP’s Ankara deputy, Yüksel Arslan, shared a list on social media, alleging that the DEM Party had sought concessions that undermined Türkiye’s constitutional foundations, including demands related to autonomy, changes to the definition of the “Turkish Nation,” and the establishment of separate armed structures and administrative authorities.
He further claimed that the DEM Party had called for facilitating the return of PKK members from abroad.
IP founding member Cevat Saraç echoed the criticism, accusing the DEM Party of pursuing a separatist agenda under the guise of dialogue.
“This is not democracy; it is an attempt to weaken the unity of the Republic of Türkiye,” Saraç said, warning lawmakers against what he described as efforts to “legitimize the terrorist group’s goals.”
The DEM Party strongly condemned the allegations as lies “devoid of reality.”
The party insisted that no such demands were raised and that the published list was a deliberate provocation designed to “escalate social tension and poison the spirit of dialogue.”
“The so-called list is completely fabricated. Its sole purpose is to pit society against each other and undermine the legitimacy of the Commission,” the DEM Party said, claiming that disinformation campaigns were being waged to overshadow “peace, equality, justice and pluralistic democracy.”
