Arınç urges KHK redress before new peace debates

By Ahmet Taş | Wise News Press
ANKARA, TÜRKİYE — Former Turkish Parliament Speaker Bülent Arınç called for the grievances of people dismissed by emergency decrees to be addressed before new political debates on social peace move forward.

Speaking at a conference titled “The Relationship Between Social Peace and Politics,” organized by the Full Democracy Platform in Ankara, Arınç made extensive remarks on democracy, justice, KHK dismissals, the “Terror-Free Türkiye” process, the economy and the judiciary.

Arınç calls for redress for KHK victims

Arınç drew attention to the situation of people dismissed from public office by emergency decree laws, known as KHKs, after the failed coup attempt of July 15, 2016.

He said those directly involved in the coup attempt and armed structures must be punished. However, he argued that broad groups of people had been treated as if they belonged to the same category, creating deep wounds in society’s sense of justice.

Arınç questioned whether millions of people could realistically be defined as members of a terrorist organization. He said people who had sent their children to schools that were legal at the time, deposited money in a legal bank, or worked in institutions that had not previously been declared illegal should not be condemned indefinitely without proper legal distinction.

According to Arınç, many KHK victims are primarily asking for one thing: to be able to say, “I am not a traitor.” He described this as a demand for restoration of honor and called for a political and legal solution.

“Those seeking status for Apo should solve this first”

One of the most striking parts of Arınç’s speech concerned debates around Abdullah Öcalan and the “right to hope.”

Without naming MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli directly, Arınç criticized those discussing a possible status for Öcalan while ignoring unresolved KHK grievances.

He said those seeking a status for “Apo” should first resolve the issue of KHK victims.

Arınç said he was not opposed to the “Terror-Free Türkiye” process and wanted it to reach a positive outcome. However, he argued that if Türkiye is to speak about social peace, it should not focus only on the expectations of one side.

For Arınç, law, justice and social peace must be considered together. He suggested that without addressing the grievances of dismissed public employees and restoring public trust in justice, a lasting foundation for peace would be difficult to build.

Right to hope should not be limited to one person

Arınç also said the “right to hope” debate should not be discussed only through Abdullah Öcalan.

He argued that prisoners who have spent 25 years in jail and have not shown bad conduct should also be able to benefit from such a legal framework, regardless of who they are.

The issue, he said, should be handled according to legal principles rather than individual political calculations.

Arınç also recalled the first peace process and said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s cautious approach was understandable because Türkiye had previously faced betrayal. Still, he argued that regional and domestic conditions had changed and that every possible opportunity should be carefully evaluated.

Barrack and Trump comments criticized

Arınç also referred to remarks by US Ambassador to Ankara Tom Barrack at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, where Barrack had reportedly spoken about “benevolent monarchy.”

Arınç criticized the comment and said the fact that such statements could be made so comfortably in Türkiye showed the influence of the United States.

He also compared Barrack’s style with that of US President Donald Trump, saying both figures speak bluntly, frequently change their statements and reflect a similar political attitude.

Arınç said Türkiye should not take its democratic direction from such remarks and must protect its own republican and democratic line.

Democracy and republic emphasized

Arınç said Türkiye made its historic choice in favor of the Republic and that there was no return from that path.

However, he argued that the Republic must be strengthened with democracy. He said the concept of the Republic alone is not enough if it does not produce a broad democratic consensus.

According to Arınç, the duty of politicians is to govern different social groups, interests and political views within democratic standards and to enable them to live together peacefully.

He described the first 10 years of the AK Party government as a more successful period in that regard, while saying later years brought more difficult and troubled phases.

Judiciary and Constitutional Court decisions

Arınç devoted a significant part of his speech to the judiciary and the need to implement Constitutional Court rulings.

He criticized the move by the 3rd Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation to file a criminal complaint against Constitutional Court members over the Can Atalay case.

Arınç recalled the Constitutional Court’s controversial 367 decision during the 2007 presidential election process. He said he strongly disagreed with that ruling at the time, but no one considered ignoring the court’s decision.

He said a legal system cannot function according to whether political actors like or dislike court rulings. For Arınç, selectively obeying judicial decisions would undermine the rule of law.

Economy linked to social peace

Arınç also linked the economy to Türkiye’s broader social peace debate.

He said a society in which a small segment lives in luxury while large groups struggle to survive cannot easily produce lasting peace.

Commenting on the economic situation, Arınç said Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek was trying to manage a very difficult financial picture with limited tools. He suggested that past economic decisions had created a heavy burden for today’s management.

Inflation, high interest rates, income inequality and poverty, he said, all weaken the social foundations needed for peace.

Social peace requires justice

Arınç’s remarks underlined that Türkiye’s social peace debate cannot be reduced to one new political process.

He argued that KHK grievances, judicial trust, economic hardship, Constitutional Court rulings, prison policies and the language of politics must all be addressed together.

His message was that social peace can only be built through a political language that gives everyone their due, prioritizes justice and avoids selective legal approaches.

For Arınç, resolving the grievances of dismissed public employees and rebuilding trust in law are not secondary issues. They are central to any credible discussion of reconciliation and democratic stability in Türkiye.

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