Ebru Günay was arrested in 2009, while part of imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan’s legal team. She spent the next five years in prison and after her release was elected as an MP for the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in 2018.
Günay is currently a deputy co-chair and co-spokesperson on foreign affairs for the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), which replaced the HDP. The progressive and pro-Kurdish rights party is the third largest in the Turkish parliament.
Green Left's Peter Boyle spoke to Günay after she visited Australia with a DEM Party delegation in mid-February. The delegation included Mehmet Rüştü Tiryaki, DEM Party MP for the Batman region and a founding member of the Union of Health and Social Workers.
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Why is the Turkish state, under the right-wing Justice and Development Party (AKP), continuing to remove popularly elected officials in Kurdish-majority regions such as Van? How can peace negotiations take place in this context?
The Turkish government has been continuing these unlawful policies since 2016 towards our municipalities and elected co-mayors. The main reason is that racism and Turkish nationalism is the main ideology of this government, which does not respect the rights of the Kurdish population even though they are protected under the constitution.
The government tried to seize the Van municipality [a day] after the local election on March 31, 2024. The majority of Van Province’s people voted for the DEM Party and all municipalities in Van were won by the party.
But when they saw peoples’ reactions, that decision was withdrawn. In this second attempt, the government again faced similar resistance. The security forces attacked the people of Van into the early morning hours.
While AKP governments seek to remove our elected co-mayors, there cannot be a process of so-called “peace negotiations”. Because peace itself is all about protecting and acknowledging the fundamental and democratic rights of Kurds, including the right to elect and to be elected.
What can you tell us about the recent meetings the DEM Party has had with imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan?
[W]e believe that the recent meetings with Mr Abdullah Öcalan mark a historic turning point for Turkey’s democratisation and the resolution of the Kurdish issue. After nearly 10 years of absolute isolation, these two meetings have once again highlighted Mr Öcalan’s decisive role in the process.
The first meeting took place on December 28, 2024. In this meeting Mr Öcalan emphasised the need to strengthen peace among peoples and underlined the importance of dialogue for the democratic and political resolution of the Kurdish issue. He shared his assessments on how a new negotiation process should be shaped in light of past experiences ... [and] that ensuring social peace is not solely the responsibility of the state but requires all segments of society to take part in the process.
The second meeting was held on January 22. In this discussion Mr Öcalan provided comprehensive analyses of the political developments in Turkey and the region, highlighting the steps needed to secure the democratic rights of the Kurdish people and achieve a peaceful resolution. He also evaluated the shortcoming of previous negotiation processes and discussed how a new process could be built on more solid foundations.
[Mr Öcalan] emphasised that the resolution of the Kurdish issue is not only crucial for the Kurdish people but also for the shared future of all peoples in Turkey.
[W]e reiterate that Mr Öcalan’s role in this process cannot be ignored and that a democratic resolution can only be achieved through dialogue and negotiation. These meetings are not only significant for the Kurdish issue but also form a crucial part of Turkey’s broader democratisation process.
Regarding Syria, what can the experience of the Rojava revolution offer after the fall of the Bashir al Assad dictatorship? Is it possible for the various forces controlling different parts of Syria to come to some form of democratic and peaceful arrangement?
The experience of the Rojava revolution, based on democratic confederalism and women’s empowerment, offers a comprehensive and inclusive alternative for a post-Assad Syria. This model envisions a system where people govern themselves at the local level through direct democracy, rather than centralised state.
The active participation of women in all spheres, from politics to the economy, security and diplomacy, also presents a transformative potential for Syria‘s future.
Democratic confederalism provides a framework in which different ethnic and religious communities can coexist, with their cultural and political rights constitutionally protected. Rojava’s experience serves as a concrete example of how Arabs, Kurds, Syriacs, Armenians and Turkmens can share governance through common administrative structures.
For Syria to achieve stability after Assad, such an inclusive governance model could be a fundamental pillar of a peaceful solution, replacing centralised and authoritarian structures.
However, reaching a democratic and peaceful agreement among the various forces controlling different parts of Syria remains highly challenging given the current political and military dynamics. Turkey’s ongoing attacks against the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (also known as Rojava), the alliance between Iran, Russia and the Assad regime as well as the uncertain policies of the United States in the region, represent major obstacles to democratic resolution.
Furthermore, some factions of the Syrian opposition continue to advocate for a centralised and Islamist-leaning government, making it difficult for them to accept Rojava’s multicultural and democratic model.
Nevertheless, for Syria to achieve long term peace, regional powers and the international community must support solutions like the local governance model offered by democratic confederalism.
The self-administration experience in Rojava is not solely built on the balance of military power but on the political will of people to coexist. In the long run, it could play a critical role in rebuilding Syria.
Will the Turkish state allow a peaceful settlement in Syria?
Following the fall of the Assad regime, while all other groups called for peaceful negotiations, the AKP government and its local ally, the so-called Syrian National Army (SNA), launched a military operation targeting Manbij and Tishrin Dam. It is nearly impossible to achieve a peaceful settlement for all of Syria as long as the Turkish government persists with military operations.
This issue must be addressed through international response. If AKP’s aggression towards Rojava continues, lasting peace will remain out of reach for a long time, similar to the ongoing situation in Libya.
The DEM Party recently sent a delegation to the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq. What does the party hope to achieve from this?
The DEM Party’s visit to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq was also an İmralı Delegation visit, carried out in accordance with the request of Mr Öcalan. This meeting took place following recent discussions with [him], aiming to observe and assess how different Kurdish political actors approach the ongoing dialogue process.
The delegation held various meetings in the KRG to strengthen intra-Kurdish dialogue and discuss regional developments from a peaceful resolution perspective. These engagements represent a significant step in evaluating regional political dynamics and developing a common approach.
The delegation is planning to hold another meeting with Mr Öcalan in the coming days to convey the insights gained from the KRG visit. Advancing this process requires gathering perspectives from different actors, understanding regional powers’ positions and proceeding with a solution-oriented approach.
[W]e believe that dialogue and negotiation are the most effective methods for securing the political, cultural and democratic rights of the Kurdish people. All parties should prioritise peaceful resolution processes over military and confrontational approaches. In this regard, strengthening dialogue and establishing common solution mechanisms are of vital importance for the future of the Kurdish people.
What would you urge the Australian government to do to help advance the search for peace and justice in the Middle East?
The Australian government has been part of the international coalition fighting against Islamic State in Syria (ISIS) for nearly a decade. While the threat of ISIS continues to loom in the region, the people of Syria are still striving for lasting peace, the return of their homes, and the establishment of a new country that will not have the same mistakes which the Assad regime has done for decades.
In this context, the international community and states have a crucial role and responsibility. Firstly, all states, including neighbouring countries, must respect the decisions and will of the people of Syria. Secondly, these states have a responsibility to hold accountable those countries that have directly or indirectly intervened in Syria and its people.
Therefore, Australia, as a member of the international coalition and as a country that fully supports democratisation, should play an active role in helping the people of Syria achieve lasting peace, which will contribute to stability in the region and the world.