HÜDA PAR Chairman Zekeriya Yapıcıoğlu outlined his party's political priorities on justice, family policy, economic reform, Gaza and the resolution of Türkiye's long-running Kurdish issue during the party's fifth ordinary provincial congress in Batman.

The congress was held at the Batman Provincial Culture Centre under the slogan "Honest Politics, Real Justice." It brought together HÜDA PAR officials, local politicians, representatives of political parties and civil society organisations, religious scholars, opinion leaders, party members and residents.

Among those attending were HÜDA PAR spokesperson and Batman MP Serkan Ramanlı, Acting Chairman İshak Sağlam, Deputy Chairman Mehmet Şah Gültekin, Central Executive Board member Abdurrahman Cevher, Consultation Board member Eyyüp Yanaç and Kayapınar Town Mayor Samir Özhan. The programme opened with a recitation from the Quran.

In his address, Yapıcıoğlu presented HÜDA PAR's political programme as part of a broader vision centred on justice, social responsibility and moral and ethical values.

He said the party's programme should be examined not only by its supporters but by society more broadly, describing it as a "civilisation project" and arguing that its principles could offer what he called a prescription for humanity's salvation.

"One day everyone will be a HÜDA PAR member," Yapıcıoğlu said, repeating one of the party's slogans and arguing that political success begins with belief and commitment.

Justice at the centre of political vision

Yapıcıoğlu said justice should be understood as placing everything in its proper position and giving every person and institution what is due to them.

He argued that the legitimacy of politics and the state should ultimately be measured by their ability to protect peace, basic rights and fundamental freedoms.

He identified five areas as fundamental — religion, life, property, intellect and lineage — and said HÜDA PAR had sought to develop policies aimed at safeguarding them.

The party leader presented these principles as a framework for its approach to government and public policy, linking them to issues ranging from security and economic welfare to family policy and individual freedoms.

HÜDA PAR's position on family and social issues

A significant part of Yapıcıoğlu's speech focused on family policy and what HÜDA PAR regards as the protection of social and moral values.

He referred to legislative proposals concerning citizens with dual nationality who are accused of involvement in genocide, attacks on sacred values and measures intended to protect families from what the party considers harmful public behaviour.

He also referred to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's "My Family is Safe" operation and criticised people who, in his characterization, support relationships and social practices that HÜDA PAR considers contrary to its understanding of family and morality.

Yapıcıoğlu said political debates over freedom should also take into account the protection of children and families. He criticised politicians who, he said, use the language of freedom to promote conduct that the party regards as socially harmful.

"What you call freedom, we call deviation," he said, adding that HÜDA PAR would not accept attempts to influence children and young people in ways contrary to its values.

He invoked the Quranic account of the Prophet Lot and contrasted the party's position with social policies in Europe and the United States. He also linked the issue to his broader argument that family structure and social values should be protected through public policy.

Gaza remains a major concern

Yapıcıoğlu also devoted part of his speech to Gaza, saying the Palestinian territory remained an important issue for HÜDA PAR and its supporters.

He said the conflict that intensified after the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks had caused widespread destruction and a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Referring to figures cited in his speech, he said more than 80,000 Palestinians had been killed and thousands of bodies remained beneath the rubble.

He also criticised the level and nature of humanitarian assistance reaching the territory, saying a ceasefire plan had envisaged hundreds of aid trucks entering Gaza each day alongside reconstruction efforts, healthcare assistance and treatment for the wounded.

According to the figures he cited, however, the actual number of aid trucks had remained substantially lower, while much of the material entering Gaza consisted of commercial goods. He also said reconstruction materials such as cement had not been allowed in at the required scale.

Yapıcıoğlu argued that the destruction in Gaza should not be allowed to disappear from the international agenda. He called on supporters to continue providing humanitarian assistance, remembering Palestinians affected by the conflict and praying for an end to the occupation.

His comments reflected HÜDA PAR's longstanding focus on the Palestinian issue and its support for continued humanitarian and political attention to Gaza.

Criticism of interest-rate policy

Economic conditions and the cost of living also featured prominently in the speech.

Yapıcıoğlu criticised Türkiye's monetary policy, particularly the sharp increase in interest rates, arguing that high borrowing costs had contributed to pressure on businesses, employment and household incomes.

He noted that the Central Bank's policy rate had risen from 8.5% to 50% and contrasted this with changes in inflation. He argued that inflation could not be attributed solely to monetary factors and pointed instead to higher labour, energy, housing and logistics costs as important contributors to price increases.

According to Yapıcıoğlu, tight monetary policy could contribute to a shortage of liquidity, weaker economic activity and rising unemployment, while high inflation continued to erode the purchasing power of wages and pensions.

He called for measures to compensate citizens whose incomes had been eroded by inflation and reiterated HÜDA PAR's support for an "Interest-Free Türkiye Process."

Yapıcıoğlu presented the proposal as a parallel economic initiative to the "Terrorism-Free Türkiye Process," arguing that interest-based economic policies contribute to unemployment and income inequality.

The party has increasingly linked economic questions to its broader argument for an alternative political and economic model based on social justice and a more equitable distribution of national wealth.

Family pressures and challenges facing young people

Yapıcıoğlu also addressed the difficulties faced by young people and families, linking economic pressures to declining interest in marriage and increasing social problems.

He argued that high living costs, difficulties in establishing households and wider social pressures were placing strain on family structures.

He also criticised attempts to use concepts such as freedom and individual rights in ways that could weaken the family. HÜDA PAR, he said, would continue to oppose such developments and seek to strengthen family structures.

He connected these issues to broader concerns about youth unemployment, economic insecurity and  a growing sense of spiritual emptiness among young people.

Kurdish issue and end of decades of violence

One of the central parts of Yapıcıoğlu's speech concerned the political process aimed at ending decades of violence in Türkiye.

He said the country was approaching the end of a more than 40-year period marked by violence and conflict, but stressed that the end of armed violence should not be regarded as the complete resolution of the Kurdish issue.

Yapıcıoğlu said HÜDA PAR had consistently maintained that the Kurdish issue existed and needed to be addressed through political and legal mechanisms rather than weapons or violence.

He described the removal of violence and the restoration of a "law of brotherhood" as two interconnected elements of the process.

According to Yapıcıoğlu, a parliamentary commission's report reflecting this approach had received 467 votes. He said there should be no return to the previous cycle of violence and argued that the next major step should be work toward a new constitution.

The party leader said HÜDA PAR would continue its activities not only through parliament and formal political institutions but also through grassroots engagement.

"We will be in the field, in the streets, in homes and in people's hearts," he said, describing direct contact with citizens as an important part of the party's political strategy.

He again repeated the party's slogan that "one day everyone will be a HÜDA PAR member."

Call for greater sensitivity in healthcare

Yapıcıoğlu also addressed an incident in Adana involving a woman who reportedly requested treatment from a female doctor.

He said a patient's request based on religious or personal considerations should not result in the denial of healthcare and called for the establishment of healthcare institutions with female medical staff where such services are requested.

He presented the issue as part of HÜDA PAR's wider argument for accommodating religious sensitivities and individual preferences within public services.

New provincial leadership elected

The congress concluded with a vote on the party's new Batman provincial administration.

Incumbent provincial chairman Davut Şahin did not seek another term. Delegates voted from a single list, with Mehmet Emin Doğru elected as the new HÜDA PAR Batman provincial chairman.

In his closing remarks, Yapıcıoğlu expressed hope that the party's political work would remain centred on people, justice and peace.

The Batman congress marked another stage in HÜDA PAR's efforts to consolidate its organisation in the region while advancing its positions on economic policy, social and family issues, the Kurdish question and the Palestinian cause. (ILKHA)