STRUGGLES

Democratic confederalism
in practice in Bakur
In Bakur, the region ofKurdistan within
Turkey's borders, people have been trying to
put these ideas into practice for over a
decade. The Democratic Society Congress
(DTK), set up in in 2007, acts as an umbrella
organisation, and aims to establish
democratic confederalism in Bakur. It
meets every three months and is made up of
representatives ofdifferent ethnic groups
and political parties as well as
representatives oflocal assemblies. It
operates as a parliament, and attempts to
create a new society under the weight of
repression from the existing one. Since the
establishment ofthe DTK, local assemblies
have been set up all over Bakur. The DTK
has also set up regional commissions to deal
with issues such as ecology, economy,
education, language, religion, culture,
science, diplomacy, women and young
people.
People involved in these movements often
refer to wanting to achieve democratic
autonomy through people organising
themselves through grassroots assemblies
or communes. Following on from this, the
term 'democratic confederalism' is used to
describe networks ofthese local assemblies
joining together in a confederation.
The movement for democratic autonomy is
supported by the People's Democratic Party
(HDP), who have 59 seats in the Turkish
parliament and are in control ofmany
municipalities in Bakur. Another party, the
Democratic Regions Party (DBP), stands in
some municipal elections, but primarily
works toward the establishment of
democratic autonomy. The PKK also
supports it.
Since the start ofthe movement for
democratic confederalism in Bakur,
activists have been met by intense state
repression. The PKK is listed as a banned
terrorist group in Turkey. Because the PKK
is part ofthe KCK, the umbrella
organisation which aims to establish
Workers from a honey co-operative in a village close to Wan, July 2015. Photo by Corporate Watch.