Serra Bucak, Co-Mayor of Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality, attended the ceremony held for the Peace, Friendship and Democracy Award and said it was particularly meaningful that the award had been presented to Sırrı Süreyya Önder and human rights defender Gisela Penteker.

The Peace, Friendship and Democracy Award ceremony, organised by the Diyarbakır Medical Chamber, was held at the Çand Amed Culture and Congress Centre. The programme began with a panel entitled “Social Wellbeing: From Peace to Health”, followed by the award ceremony.

The programme was attended by Serra Bucak, Co-Mayor of Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality; Demet Ceylan, Co-Spokesperson of the DBB Council; MPs, council members, representatives of civil society organisations, and many residents.

During the ceremony, a message sent from prison by Selçuk Mızraklı, former Co-Mayor of Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality, was also read out.

Co-Mayor Bucak: Presenting the award to Önder and Penteker is deeply meaningful

Speaking at the award ceremony, Co-Mayor Bucak said that the award held great personal significance for her and stated: “I am very proud to be here today and to witness this award ceremony. I first met Gisela Penteker and her delegation in 2016, during the period when trustees had been appointed, shortly before Newroz. Since then, both our friendship and the form of the delegation have developed and evolved with her contribution. As was also expressed in the speeches, Gisela and her generation say that this struggle must now be passed on to younger people. We must all recognise and support this change together. As someone who has worked with them and accompanied them, I am also especially proud and happy. Gisela Penteker is a very valuable human rights defender and a strong friend of the Kurdish people. Unfortunately, she has been unable to come to Türkiye for the past three years because of an entry ban, and she feels deep sadness because of this. That is because she is someone who has built a very strong, sincere and profound bond of friendship and peace with this place. For this reason, it is very meaningful that the Medical Chamber has presented this award to her together with dear Sırrı Süreyya Önder. I thank everyone who contributed.”

This year’s Peace, Friendship and Democracy Award was presented to the late Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) MP Sırrı Süreyya Önder and human rights defender Dr Gisela Penteker. Co-Mayor Serra Bucak presented the award given in Dr Gisela Penteker’s name to Dr Nesrin Kasımlo, while Önder’s award was presented to his brother, Ali Fuat Önder.