Pro-Kurdish political parties in Bakûr and Turkey
Below you will find an overview of logos belonging to pro-Kurdish political parties in Bakur and Turkey. The Kurds were long oppressed, and everything about Kurdishness was totally forbidden. Nevertheless, the Kurds were convinced that they had to fight for their basic human rights through dialogue. With the DEP party, Kurds could finally find a party that could fully represent them. Due to the party's position, the party was constantly threatened with closure, and its politicians and their sympathizers threatened with murder, torture, persecution, imprisonment. The threats became a reality that continues today. The party had always have a plan B in case the main party would be banned. Thus, a reserve party always existed. For example, the parties ÖZEP and ÖZDEP were created against a possible closure of HEP. The party DEP and the follower HADEP were both banned. ÖZGÜR PARTI and the DTP were reserve parties for DEHAP. Following the ban on DTP, the BDP was created which later split into two parties, one focusing on Kurdish areas, DBP, and the other, HDP, focusing on the whole country. Both parties are active to date despite the fact that tens of thousands of their sympathizers, elected politicians have been imprisoned, persecuted and passivated.
Over the years, several Kurdish parties were banned (HEP, ÖZDEP, DEP, HADEP, DTP), some had to be dissolved (ÖZEP, ÖZGÜR PARTI, DEHAP, BDP), others continue the struggle to this day (DBP, HDP). The members of the parties were murdered, tortured, persecuted, imprisoned and banned. The more elected politicians were oppressed and abused, the bigger and stronger the struggle continued. The Kurds still have a long way to go, but they managed to stop the assimilation process of Kurds to a certain degree, and be heard by the world community. The state eventually had to recognize the existence and identity of the Kurds. The repression continues in full force, but no one can deny the existence of the Kurds anymore.
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| HEP (07.06.1990 - 14.07.1993) Halkın Emek Partisi Partiya Kedê ya Gel People’s Labor Party |
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| ÖZEP (25.06.1992 - 07.07.1992) Özgürlük ve Eşitlik Partisi Partiya Azadî û Wekheviyê Freedom and Equality Party |
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| ÖZDEP
(19.10.1992 - 23.11.1993) Özgürlük ve Demokrasi Partisi Partiya Azadî û Demokrasîyê Freedom and Democracy Party |
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| DEP (07.05.1993 - 16.06.1994) Demokrasi Partisi Partiya Demokrasîyê Democracy Party |
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| HADEP (11.05.1994 - 13.03.2003) Halkın Emek Partisi Partiya Demokrasî ya Gel People’s Democracy Party |
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| DEHAP (24.10.1997 - 19.11.2005) Demokratik Halk Partisi Partiya Gel a Demokratîk Democratic People’s Party |
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| ÖZGÜR PARTi (06.06.2003 - 26.06.2007) Özgür Parti Partiya Azad The Free Party |
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| DTP (09.11.2005 - 11.12.2009) Demokratik Toplum Partisi Partiya Civaka Demokratîk Democratic Society Party |
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| BDP (02.05.2008 - 11.07.2014) Barış ve Demokrasi Partisi Partiya Aştî û Demokrasiyê Peace and Democracy Party |
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| DBP (11.07.2014 - Present) Demokratik Bölgeler Partisi Partiya Herêmên Demokratîk Democratic Regions Party |
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| HDP (15.10.2012 - Present) Halkların Demokratik Partisi Partiya Demokratîk a Gelan Peoples' Democratic Party |
YSP
(25.11.2012 - Present)
(25.11.2012 - Present)
Yeşiller ve Sol Gelecek Partisi
Partiya Keskan û Pêşerojê ya Çep
Party of Greens and the Left Future
Kısa. | PARTİ ADI | Kuruluş | Kapanış |
HEP | Halkın Emek Partisi | 07.06.90 | 14.07.93 |
ÖZEP | Özgürlük ve Eşitlik Partisi | 25.06.92 | 07.07.92 |
ÖZDEP | Özgürlük ve Demokrasi Partisi | 19.10.92 | 23.11.93 |
DEP | Demokrasi Partisi | 07.05.93 | 16.06.94 |
HADEP | Halkın Emek Partisi | 11.05.94 | 13.03.03 |
DEHAP | Demokratik Halk Partisi | 24.10.97 | 19.11.05 |
ÖTP | Özgür Parti | 06.06.03 | 26.06.07 |
DTP | Demokratik Toplum Partisi | 09.11.05 | 11.12.09 |
BDP | Barış ve Demokrasi Partisi | 02.05.08 | 11.07.14 |
DBP | Demokratik Bölgeler Partisi | 11.07.14 | Present |
HDP | Halkların Demokratik Partisi | 15.10.12 | Present |
| YASAKLANDI | HAT QEDEXEKIRIN | BANNED |
| KENDİNİ FESHETTİ | XWE HILWEŞAND | DISSOLVED ITSELF |
| AKTİF | ÇALAK | ACTIVE |
NOTE:
I created the ÖZEP party logo myself as I could not find an existing example. Original logo is relatively unknown due to the party's short 13-day lifespan.
The logo I created features four arrows, which symbolize both a compass and mountains. As a mountainous country, Kurdistan has always relied on its rugged terrain for protection against massacres, so the mountains are considered the Kurds' best friend. The compass points in all four directions, representing the divided yet united nature of today's Kurdistan, which spans across four different states. In the center of the mountains is a symbol that resembles both a sun and a flower. The 21 sunbeams in the symbol represent the Kurdish New Year, Newroz, while the flower is a nod to the HEP party, which also featured a flower in its logo.
There are rumors that the Kurds deliberately chose the flower, specifically a rose (gul), to represent the natural beauty of Kurdistan. The word Gulistan, which means "land of roses," also rhymes with Kurdistan. The word Kurdistan and its associated symbols have been heavily suppressed and those who openly display them face severe punishment, including torture, imprisonment or even death. Even listening to Kurdish music or carrying items featuring the colors green, red, and yellow, which symbolize Kurdish national identity, can lead to persecution.
Due to the strict ban on the word Kurdistan, Kurds have instead started using the word "Mesopotamia" as a synonym for their homeland. However, despite the ongoing suppression, the Kurdish people continue to display their resilience by incorporating their cultural symbols into their logo, such as the rose which represents Gulistan (Kurdistan), the land of roses.
Turkish State-friendly Kurds are sometimes allowed limited freedom to use Kurdish symbols, but they are not allowed to express opinions against the Turkish state. Although certain Turkish state-friendly Kurds are permitted to use the term "Kurdistan," speak Kurdish freely, and display Kurdish flags and symbols, this is typically restricted to a certain extent, primarily indoors. Granting limited freedom of movement to Turkish state-friendly Kurds serve the state's interests, as it aligns with their agenda of presenting themselves as not opposed to the Kurdish people, but only to those labeled as "terrorists". Turkish state-friendly Kurds are small groups that Turkey does not see as posing a significant threat. Typically, these groups only speak out against their own people (ironically for not being patriotic enough) and do not criticize the state in any way.
Despite these restrictions, the Kurdish people remain well-informed and are able to distinguish between true Kurdish patriots and state-friendly Kurds who are using Kurdish values (flags, clothes, symbols, song, language, etc.) as cover, but their actions show the opposite.
The Kurdish population is aware of those who make sacrifices for the Kurdish cause. Therefore, Kurdish individuals who align with the state have virtually no support among their community. This is evident from the fact that in the 2015 elections, the HDP received over six million votes, while the second largest Kurdish party obtained less than 60,000 votes.
Example:
True Kurds vs.
Turkish State-friendly Kurds (HUDAPAR & Barzanis KDP branches in North Kurdistan such as: PAKURD, KDP-Bakur, KDP-T, KDP-PDK, TDK-TEVGER, PÊL-KURD, PAKURD).