On alert against provocations aimed at disrupting the terror-free Türkiye process, authorities on Sunday announced that four suspects who were hanging pictures of PKK terrorists on walls in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır had been detained.
The Diyarbakır Governor’s Office, in a province with a large Kurdish population, said in a statement that the incident was “isolated” and took place “only in a few small streets.”
On Sunday, Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi said in a social media post that authorities would not tolerate anyone trying to thwart the terror-free Türkiye process. The initiative seeks the full disarmament of the terrorist group and recently took a new turn with the introduction of a new law concerning the future status of PKK members. The law defers the prosecution and sentencing of PKK members who were not involved in acts of terrorism.
The PKK stepped up its propaganda activities after the law was introduced, as a party aligned with the group held "remembrance events" for slain PKK terrorists. The events angered critics of the initiative.
Çiftçi said that “every provocateur attempting to poison the climate of national unity and brotherhood will be subject to the treatment he/she deserves.” Proponents of the initiative, including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, say the process will strengthen unity between Turks and Kurds. The latter has been exploited by the PKK for decades, as the terrorist group claims to fight for Kurdish self-rule in the southeast.
“As the Ministry of Interior, we are working in full coordination with all institutions and bodies of our state to completely rid our country of terrorism, remove violence entirely from our agenda and strengthen our social cohesion. The terror-free Türkiye process is an opportunity to open a new chapter that will free our country from the shackles holding it back and provide peace and prosperity for every one of its citizens.
“We are closely and resolutely monitoring the process to ensure that this sensitive period remains free from all forms of provocation and exploitation. We now face a new period that will further strengthen our brotherhood and enable us to channel our energy toward development, production and the prosperity of our nation. In this historic process, everyone, from political parties and civil society organizations to our citizens, has an important responsibility to fulfill,” Çiftçi said in his social media post.
