Tuncer Bakırhan, Co-Chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) Party, discussed critical issues, in an interview with Özgür Politika’s Gülcan Dereli on Monday.

He described Turkey’s prisons as a reflection of the true state of the country, noting a record increase in the number of prisoners over the last 20 years. Bakırhan also warned against the construction of ‘coffin-style’ prisons, the serious impact of Abdullah Öcalan’s isolation on Kurdish politics and the growing authoritarianism linked to the economic crisis and state corruption. He stressed that hope lies in organised resistance and collective struggle.

Bakırhan said: “According to the Ministry of Justice, there are currently 403 prisons, but our own information suggests that the number is closer to 450. In the last three years alone, around 100 new prisons have been built and more than 350,000 people are incarcerated. This is a record in Europe,” he said, stressing that the prison system reflects a model of governance focused on the imprisonment of society.

The co-chair of the DEM party pointed out that most of those imprisoned are not those who harm society, but those who fight for peace, democracy and human rights. He expressed concern about the new S- and Y-type prisons, describing them as alarming in terms of human rights violations. “These new types of prisons represent an evolution in the law of the enemy. The cells are for one or three people, there is no sunlight and inmates are under 24-hour camera surveillance. Under these conditions, deaths are unfortunately common,” said Bakırhan.

Bakırhan criticised the isolation imposed on Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, arguing that this isolation is not only illegal and oppressive, but also a strategy aimed at disrupting the Kurdish people’s struggle. Bakırhan said, “The struggle against absolute isolation is the first step to defeat this political mentality. It is necessary to socialise this struggle and take it to an international level”.

Bakırhan also touched upon the economic crisis in Turkey, the power struggles within the government and the war policy, highlighting how the intertwining of the government with mafia structures has led the country into a huge shadow economy. He stressed that at a time when the economic crisis is deepening and lawlessness is becoming the norm, the only way out is through organisation and collective struggle.

Finally, Bakırhan discussed how the political structures are trying to consolidate their power through the Kurdish question, but stressed that the DEM party is working to build a common resistance with all the people of Turkey. “We have to fight together to write our history of victory,” said Bakırhan, stressing the importance of solidarity in this period of deepening social divisions and economic crisis.