ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) on Sunday condemned Turkish security forces for blocking two Cizre co-mayors from attending a high-level symposium in Sirnak province, calling the move an “unlawful” and “systematic attack” amid the ongoing dialogue between Ankara and Kurdish groups.

On Saturday, the fourth International Mullah al-Jaziri Symposium was held in the Cizre district of Turkey's Sirnak province, with the attendance of the former President of the Kurdistan Region, Masoud Barzani, and many other academics and politicians.

The event focused on the life, works, and ethics of Kurdish poet and philosopher Sheikh Ahmad al-Jaziri.

“At a time when hope for social peace is growing stronger, our co-mayors Guler Tunc Yerbasan and Abdurahim Durmus were unlawfully prevented from attending a symposium held in Cizre,” the DEM Party said in a statement. 

The statement further accused the Sirnak police chief of speaking to the two co-mayors in a violent manner and blocking them from attending the event, calling the act “sexist and an unacceptable threat to women’s presence in politics and the free will of the people.”

Social media footage showed a large crowd gathering to welcome Barzani outside the event hall and his hotel in Cizre, but Turkish security forces blocked them, sparking clashes over people holding the Kurdistan flag.

The pro-Kurdish party condemned the crackdown and added, “The subsequent assault and violence inflicted upon the people demonstrate that this was not a coincidence but a planned and systematic attack.” 

It stressed that those responsible for the Cizre incident “will certainly be held accountable in the legal arena.”

Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), delivered a speech at Saturday’s event in Cizre, expressing support for the ongoing peace process between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Ankara and reaffirming his readiness to help advance the initiative.

The DEM Party has been the main mediator between the PKK and the Turkish state in the recent peace process.

A Turkish parliamentary committee has been established, tasked with drafting a legal framework for the Ankara-PKK peace process. The commission on Monday marked their first visit with jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan on Imrali Island, later asserting that “positive outcomes” had been reached.

Ocalan made a historic call from Imrali in February, which was subsequently followed by the PKK announcing its intention to lay down its arms and dissolve in May.

Despite the advancement of the peace process and the halting of the PKK's almost four-decade-long campaign against the Turkish state, many observers have remained skeptical of the next steps, citing legal ambiguities and a lack of clarity.

Ocalan and the DEM Party have repeatedly expressed concern over the lack of concrete measures to establish a political framework ensuring the success of the peace process.

In July, dozens of PKK fighters burned their weapons in a symbolic disarmament ceremony in the Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani province, and earlier this month the group announced it will completely withdraw from Turkish soil.