Erdoğan takes tough stance against Kurdish hunger strike | Bernard Long

Turkey’s tough-talking Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has controversially voiced his support for the reintroduction of capital punishment in the country. The Justice & Development Party (Turkish: Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, or AKP) leader’s remarks come in response to the on-going hunger strike of over 600 of the nation’s Kurdish prisoners, as they agitate for both the release of incarcerated Kurdistan Workers’ Party leader, Abdullah Öcalan, from solitary confinement on İmralı island and greater recognition for the cultural and linguistic rights of Turkey’s Kurdish minority, who make up about 18% of the population. Erdoğan went on to claim that the public echoes his sentiments, saying, “Right now a lot of people say in public surveys that capital punishment should be reintroduced.”The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (Kurdish: Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan, or PKK) has waged a bloody, three decade conflict for Kurdish rights, known as the Kurdish-Turkish conflict. Formed in 1978 by Abdullah Öcalan, the group paramilitarised itself in 1984, using training camps in France. Despite originally espousing a radical Marxist ideology, Öcalan has since steered the group toward left-wing Kurdish nationalism. Their prolonged campaign has, according to former Chief of the Turkish General Staff, İlker Başbuğ, cost over 30,000 lives, approximately 5,500 of which were civilian casualties. The PKK has also been accused of human rights violations by Amnesty International, who claim they are guilty of the execution  of civilians, including Kurds, and implicated in both drug trafficking and extortion. The group has been designated as a terrorist organisation by numerous authorities, including the UK Home Office, the US State Department and the European Union. In 2004, they resumed hostilities after a self-imposed 5-year ceasefire, due to dissatisfaction with an inability to advance their agenda though peaceful means.Erdoğan’s support for the return of capital punishment is a clear indicator of his priorities in relation to foreign policy. Turkey abolished the death penalty entirely in 2004, as part of an initiative to bring its laws in line with those of the European Union. Two years later, it ratified Protocol 13 of the European Charter on Human Rights, universally banning all forms of capital punishment. Members of one of the AKP’s main opposition parties, the Peace & Democracy Party (Turkish: Barış ve Demokrasi Partisi, or BDP), have voiced concerns that reintroduction of capital punishment would jeopardise EU membership. This possibility seems unlikely to faze the PM, however, as he has already criticised the lengthy entry process to which Turkey had been subjected. Erdoğan has also been critical of the BDP itself, in particular it support of the hunger strike, initiated, in fact, by BDP member, Faysal Sarıyıldız, in mid-September. “The families of the dead suffer while others (BDP members) enjoy themselves at kebab parties”, he scathed. Regarding the EU and Öcalan, he said, “A death penalty was handed to the terrorist chief (Öcalan) who was the cause of death for tens of thousands of people, but this country abolished the death penalty due to pressure from known places (EU).”In contrast to the BDP’s opposition, Erdoğan’s firmness has found favour with another party, the right-wing MHP. According to MHP Ankara deputy, Zuhal Topçu, “The MHP particularly wants the execution of the terrorist chief, Öcalan. Today, hunger strikes have come onto the agenda because a compromise has been given after every action.” Topçu’s statement appears to effectively endorse Erdoğan’s steadfast refusal to negotiate with the strikers.Politically, Erdoğan’s comments carry great weight, considering the Turkish political landscape. The AKP have reigned supreme for nearly 10 years, with Erdoğan at the helm. After first being elected PM in 2002, he was re-elected with emphatic victories in the general elections of both 2007and 20011. As well as this, his centre-right party currently holds 327 of the 550 Turkish parliamentary seats. Considering that the MHP holds 52 seats, Erdoğan’s staunch opposition to the hunger strike, an action he has referred to as “blackmail”, enjoys significant support in the assembly.Regardless of whether or not Erdoğan’s claims can be taken seriously, it has become clear that Turkey is faced with a difficult proposition; managing both the threat of the PKK and the expectations of the international community.