Mayor Baydemir insists on autonomy

[talsor]

Diyarbakır Mayor Osman Baydemir, who recently sparked controversy by calling for “democratic autonomy” for Kurds, whereby the Kurds would have a local parliament in southeastern Anatolia and fly their flag next to the Turkish flag, has been standing by his call.

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“I can be self-critical since I haven’t been that open until today, but yes, the solution to the Kurdish problem is democratic autonomy,” he said, adding that ideas should be freely expressed and debated, and that if this is not allowed, Turkey will not be able to move forward.

Baydemir made his remarks yesterday in Diyarbakır while answering reporters’ questions following the opening of the European Union-sponsored project “Dünyayı Değiştirmeye Yerellerimizden Başlıyoruz” (We start changing the world locally).

He also noted that using arms in the Kurdish conflict is wrong and that people should be able to freely discuss all ideas about the Kurdish problem.

An investigation has been launched into Baydemir, a politician from the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), over his remarks calling for “democratic autonomy” for Kurds.

The BDP has so far refused to denounce PKK attacks by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which have escalated in past weeks. Several predecessors of the BDP have been closed down in the past by the Constitutional Court on the basis of links to the PKK .