Page 236 - America's Failure to Perceive the PKK

This organization described as a political body is, in fact, one
under the total control of the PKK, and even pressured by the PKK, as
the journalist and author Adem Yavuz Arslan describes:

It appears that the people did not elect those heads of munici-
palities; The KCK put the names forward and it happened. They
have no initiative. They are even tried and punished for not tak-
ing part in actions. A cleaning worker questioned and sentenced
Osman Baydemir. 85

At this point, the fact that some legally constituted parties in Par-
liament also follow the instructions of and even act in line with pres-
sure from the PKK is clearer than ever before. HDP MP Pervin Bul-
dan's answer to the question, "Do Qandil, İmralı and the party act as
a single body?" is particularly worthy of note:

It will be useful to make it clear that you cannot distinguish the
Kurdish Freedom Movement (referring to the PKK) from bodies
engaging in politics in Turkey. Consequently, there are the rel-
atives and children of people in the political mechanism
involved in the freedom movement. 86

Adem Yavuz Arslan says this on the same subject:

Those sections concerning BDP (HDP) politicians are thought-
provoking. Because the BDP members are literally the captives

of the KCK… They have no initiative of their own. ... They
determine everything, from how they should speak to what they
do and where. 87

The analysis provided by the journalist and author Ahmet Altan

are especially significant:

234 America's Failure to Perceive the PKK