Ibrahim Kurtulus, a community activist, has penned a letter to Democracy Now! expressing his deep concern over statements made by Ms. Özlem Gönér, a Steering Committee member of the Emergency Committee for Rojava, during her appearance on the program on December 24, 2024. In his letter, Kurtulus criticized Gönér for her remarks regarding Türkiye, calling them misleading and dangerous.

Kurtulus pointed out that Gönér’s comments, including claiming that “Turkey is a major threat to Kurds and democratic experiments in the region,” misrepresent Türkiye’s legitimate national security concerns as a NATO ally. He stressed that Türkiye’s official name, the “Republic of Türkiye,” should be respected and that her use of “Turkey” was an attempt to delegitimize the nation’s sovereignty.

Furthermore, Kurtulus accused Gönér of aligning herself with the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party), a group classified as a terrorist organization by the U.S., EU, and Türkiye, which has been responsible for the deaths of over 45,000 people, including civilians. He cited statements from U.S. officials and former ambassadors acknowledging Türkiye’s critical role in countering terrorism, as well as the fact that several Kurdish leaders, including Nechirvan Barzani of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), have called for the PKK’s withdrawal from the region.

Kurtulus also rejected Gönér’s claims regarding the deaths of journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin, calling them baseless and unsupported by any court of law. He argued that her narrative aimed to vilify Türkiye’s counterterrorism efforts and distort the facts.

The activist highlighted Türkiye’s long history of supporting Kurdish populations, noting its protection of Kurds during the Gulf War and its role in sheltering hundreds of thousands of Kurdish refugees from both Iraq and Syria. He firmly stated that the PKK does not represent the Kurdish people but rather operates as a violent terrorist group.

Kurtulus ended his letter by urging Democracy Now! to reconsider providing a platform for Gönér’s rhetoric, which he believes aligns with groups that could have direct or indirect connections to terrorism. He emphasized the importance of balanced discourse and ethical journalism, particularly regarding sensitive geopolitical issues, and called on Democracy Now! to avoid amplifying one-sided narratives that harm international relations and regional stability.