Roj Bash Kurdistan

Freedom for Öcalan

Countless people around the world are taking to the streets this Saturday to express their demand for freedom for Abdullah Öcalan

February 15 marks the 22nd anniversary of the international plot to arrest Öcalan and send him to Turkey.

Originally Öcalan received the death penalty which was then commuted to life imprisonment on the prison island of Imrali.

For 22 years, Öcalan has been held in absolute solitary confinement on the island in the Sea of Marmara, broken only by sporadically authorized visits from family members and lawyers.

The last contact with Öcalan was in 2020 when a family visit took place on March 3, after there had been a fire on Imrali about a week earlier. On April 27, the authorities authorized a telephone conversation with his brother. Since then, Öcalan has again been completely isolated from the outside world.

STRASBOURG

Since last year, the protests against 22 years of torture system on Imrali have reached a special quality, because since November 27, a hunger strike against Öcalan's isolation and the destructive prison conditions in Turkey has been taking place in Turkish prisons.

The co-president of the Kurdish European umbrella organization KCDK-E, Fatoş Göksungur, also drew attention to this at a rally in Strasbourg, France. Her criticism was directed in particular at the ignorance of Europe and European institutions in the face of the prison conditions on Imrali.

The Strasbourg rally took place at Place de la République, followed by a short march to the European Parliament. Slogans such as "Down with Turkish fascism", "Long live Ocalan" and "We are all PKK" were shouted. The demonstration ended in front of the buildings of the Council of Europe and the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), exactly at the place where a permanent vigil for Öcalan's freedom has been held for nine years.

ROME

In the Italian capital Rome, people gathered in front of the headquarters of the public broadcaster Rai. The rally was attended by Kurdish activists from the Kurdistan Information Office, members of the grassroots unions Cobas and Cub, representatives of the Italian Communist Party (PCI) and the Italian section of the women's movement "Non una di meno", and students.

Speeches called on the Italian government, the EU and the United Nations to act against the "murderous policies of dictator Erdogan" and the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan. An appeal was made to the Italian media to deal more intensively with the Kurdish question.

SYDNEY

There was also a rally in the Australian city of Sydney, which was attended primarily by prominent figures from civil society and politics. In addition to Greens MP David Shoebridge and Greens ex-senator Lee Rhiannon, Australian cleric Bill Crews, Susan Price of the Progressive Alliance and trade unionist Mansour Rezaqi were also present.

In a statement made here, the international conspiracy was described as a "stain on the history of democracy and human rights". The statement said that Öcalan, as a person committed to peace, belonged not behind bars but alongside his people; "We, as advocates of peace and democracy, will continue to work for his liberation. Just as we fought for Nelson Mandela's freedom, we will fight to free Abdullah Öcalan.”

In a following speech, a representative of the Kurdish community addressed the Turkish military aggression in the guerrilla area of Gare. The attack, which was directed against the "achievements of the Kurdish people," was strongly condemned. The activist appealed to the international community to stand with the Kurds in solidarity.

As part of the action, one of 22 minibuses currently touring the world as mobile Öcalan libraries under the slogan "The time has come: Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan" drove up to the square in Sydney. The activists set up a stand and distributed small brochures with selected texts from the PKK founder's defense writings on the topics of democratic confederalism, women's liberation and democratic nationhood.

MILAN

A demonstration was organised at Piazza Scala in the Italian city of Milan in protest at the international conspiracy. Kurds and their Italian friends exposed the role of international forces in the conspiracy, as well as the aggravated isolation systematically imposed on Öcalan by the Turkish state since 1999 under the supervision of international colonialist powers and attempts to subdue the Kurds and other peoples in the Middle East.

Speakers underlined that their actions would continue until the isolation is ended and Öcalan gains his physical freedom and vowed further expansion of “The Time Has Come” campaign.

BRUSSELS

In Belgium’s capital Brussels, a demonstration at Porte de Namur condemned the international conspiracy. Kongra-Gel Co-chair Remzi Kartal, a representative of the Kurdish Women’s Movement in Belgium and Medya Rojava in the name of the KCDK-E Co-presidency Council addressed the crowd.

NUREMBERG

Organised by Medya People’s House, the demonstration at Hallplatz in Nuremberg was attended by various groups including Kurdistan Communities Federation, German Interventionist Left, Partizan, AGİF, SYKP and MVH.

The activists set up a stand introducing Öcalan’s defense writings and books and distributed them to their German friends.

PARIS

Masses took to the streets in French capital Paris in protest at the international conspiracy of 15 February 1999 and the aggravated isolation imposed on Öcalan since. While the banners, speeches slogans of the crowd demanded “Freedom for Öcalan”, demonstrators also protested the ongoing Turkish invasion operation in Gare and commended the resistance of the guerrillas against occupation attempts.

The march ended at Châtelet where a minute’s silence was observed for all the martyrs of the Kurdish freedom struggle and speakers vowed to be on the streets until Öcalan gains his physical freedom.

NANTES

Kurds and their friends living in the cities of Nantes, Rennes, Lorient and Vannes gathered at Place du Commerce in Nantes to protest against the international conspiracy and Turkish invasion operation in Gare.

The march through the city was accompanied by slogans that condemned the Turkish dictator and his genocidal campaign against the Kurdish people and commended the resistance of the guerilla forces.

Speakers defined the attack on Gare as a continuation of the international conspiracy and stated that their actions will continue until the isolation of Öcalan is brought to an end and his freedom is achieved.

Friends of the Kurdish people also spoke and gave messages of solidarity with their struggle.

BREMEN

The demonstration in the German city of Bremen was joined by hundreds of Kurds from Hamburg, Kiel, Lubeck and Oldenburg.

The march kicked off from HBF following a speech by FED-DEM co-chair Sait Bilgin who condemned the international powers involved in the conspiracy and called on European states to stop helping Erdoğan and ignoring the legitimate demands of the Kurdish people to avoid being a party to this atrocity.

Speakers from Shengal Diaspora Assembly and NAV-YEK pointed out the role of the PKK that did not allow ISIS to commit a genocider against the Yazidi people in Shengal.

The march was concluded with a rally in front of Bremen State Parliament.

Adds for Öcalan’s freedom

A full-page advertisement has been published in the British newspapers Daily Mirror, Brentwood Recorder and Wood and Wale under the headline "Join the campaign to free Abdullah Öcalan. Help bring about peace in Turkey and the Middle East”.

Actions and activities demanding freedom for Abdullah Öcalan continue all around the world.

Trade unions representing millions of workers have launched a “Freedom for Öcalan” campaign in the UK at the 22nd anniversary of his abduction from Kenya to Turkey in an international plot on 15 February 1999.

14 trade unions representing over six million workers, including Unite the Union, GMB, NEU, USDAW, FBU, continue their activities together with the British Kurdish People’s Council. Full-page advertisements promoted by the unions are published on newspapers to highlight the demand for the freedom of the Kurdish leader.

British Kurdish People’s Council co-presidents Elif Sarıcan and Ercan Akbal stated that the trade unions have given an advertisement to all the newspapers published throughout the country and did not leave anyone unreached.

The advertisement published by Daily Mirror, Brentwood Recorder and Wood and Wale calls for participation in the “Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan” campaign. The advertisement has already appeared on 22 newspapers which will be followed by 66 other newspapers next week.

The 15 February 1999 international
conspiracy in Abdullah Öcalan's words

Öcalan: "My intention was to find a democratic platform for the Kurdish question. Had I found support for this, it would also have been possible to push Turkey in this direction. However, Europe seemed not interested in a solution to the Kurdish problem."...

We can completely abandon separatism and violence in the present system if the Kurds are no longer excluded from a process in which they have participated together with the Turks in the course of history: the formation of a state and a nation to which both Kurds and Turks contributed alike. A republic, however, which is based on the denial of Kurdish demands for freedom, leads to separatism and violence. If the republic opens to the self-determination of its peoples within the boundaries of the republic, we might have a peaceful future together.

Ten small local newspapers in UK publish

“The Time has Come, Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan”



Ten newspapers in the UK, the Hucknall Dispatch, The Gazette, The Guardian, Advertiser, Rasen Mail, Sunderland Echo, Sleaford Standard, Visitor, The News Courier and The Bucks Herald, published the call “The Time has Come, Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan”

Sadly, these are small local papers, none of which have a large readership or any political leverage.

They may draw attention to the aggravated isolation imposed on Abdullah Öcalan and demanding his freedom, the call said: “Nobody has suffered as much as the Kurdish community.

The Kurdish community defeated ISIS on the battlefield with heroic efforts. It is building a new life and social structure in northern and eastern Syria. The Kurdish community has repeatedly wanted a peacefully negotiated solution. Despite all these efforts, the Turkish military and its mercenary allies attack the Kurds and commit violence and massacres.

The world just watches this. The ongoing peace process between the Turkish state and the Kurdish political leader Abdullah Öcalan between 2013-15 was voided by Erdoğan. It's time to stop this trend. It is time to return to a new peace process."

The declaration also emphasized that it is time to end the inhuman isolation and 20 years of imprisonment of Abdullah Öcalan, and added: "It is time for Abdullah Öcalan to play the main role in bringing peace.”

Stressing that all political leaders, civil society and the international public should take action in the “Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan" campaign to open the doors that are closed to peace, the call stated that it is time to act before it is too late.”

The demands of the call are as follows:

* Immediately end the isolation imposed on Abdullah Öcalan.

* Release the captive Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. Put an end to the policies of pressure and intimidation against the opposition.

* All political prisoners in Turkish prisons should be released.

* End operations in Northern and Eastern Syria and Iraq. Support a new peace process with international support and initiatives.

Abdullah Öcalan should be freed
due to his age and his deteriorating health

Saturday’s rallies for Öcalan’s freedom

Demonstrations will take place in tens of centres throughout at least 11 countries as Kurds call on all of our people, especially women and youth, our democratic forces, and our friends to unite and demand Öcalan’s freedom

Protests will be held in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, England, Finland, Norway, and Denmark, in particular.

For 22 years Abdullah Öcalan has been imprisoned in complete isolation and subjected to systematic torture. This absolute isolation system is unseen in the world. Individual practices with no legal basis prevent lawyer and family meetings.

This rigorous isolation and systematic torture, which has been in place for 22 years, is essentially a system of oppression, torture, and isolation directed towards Kurds, women, and all democratic forces. This extreme isolation and torture regime devised against Öcalan is at the heart of the genocidal policies being perpetrated against the Kurdish people every day.

Öcalan’s great struggle in Imrali negated and reversed all of these attacks, allowing existence to triumph where poverty was forced and freedom to sprout where servitude was intended to increase. For the past 100 years, the Kurdish people and their allies have fought unabated against these attacks. Every day, every minute, for 100 years, resistance, struggle, and freedom were gained, and the conspiracy forces were defeated.

"Dem Dema Azadiyê ye!" [Time for Freedom] campaign is a response to the invasion and occupation of Kurdistan and it forged a common attitude and stance throughout the four parts of Kurdistan and abroad against the ongoing genocidal assaults on Kurds.

On this basis, we urge all of our people, especially women and youth, democratic forces, and supporters to unite and participate in the actions planned for Saturday, September 11 in several European cities.

The centres where the actions will take place on September 11 are as follows:

GERMANY

Berlin

Location: at Breitscheidplatz (Kudamm, next to the Old Church)

Time: 15.00

*

Cologne (NRW Participation)

Location: Heumarkt

Meeting time: 09.00

March start time: 10.00

*

Stuttgart

Location: Lautenschlagerstrasse/ in front of Hbf

Time: 14.00

*

Frankfurt

Location: Haubbanhof Kaisersack

Time: 14.30

*

Hannover

Location: In front of the Hauptbahnhof

Time: 14.00

*

Saarbrucken

Location: Europagalerie

Time: 13.00

*

Hamburg

Location: Sternschaze (Rote Flora)

Time: 15.00

FRANCE

Paris

Location: Republique Square

Time: 14.00

*

Marseille

Location: Place Canibier

Time: 18.00

*

Bordeaux

Location: Place Stalingrad

Time: 19.00

*

Draguignan

Location: Park Chabran

Time: 19.00

Strasbourg

Location: Place de la Gare

Time: 14.00

SWITZERLAND

Location: De Wette Park / Basel

Time: 14:00

HOLLAND

Location: Het Plein / The Hague

Time: 15.00

BELGIUM

Location: Place du Luxembourg / Brussels

Time: 12:00

ENGLAND

Location: Excel London East Gate / Royal Albert Way / London

Time: 14.00

AUSTRIA

Location: Neubaugasse - Marialferstr / Vienna

Time: 16.00

SWEDEN

Location: Våghustorget / Örebro

Time: 14.00

FINLAND

Location : itäkatu 1 / Helsinki

Time: 14.30

NORWAY

Location: Jernbanetorget / Oslo

Time: 14.00

DENMARK

Location: Kultorved / Kobenhavns

Time: 13.00

Freedom for Öcalan 9 October

"We will do whatever is necessary to achieve the freedom of our Leader Öcalan." KON-MED called on people to participate in the 9 October protests with the slogan "Freedom will prevail, freedom for Öcalan, the time for freedom is now"

KON-MED wrote: “The Confederation of Kurdistan Societies in Germany (KON-MED), we strongly condemn this international conspiracy which began on 9 October 1998 and led to the arrest of Öcalan.

An aggravated isolation is imposed on Öcalan using methods rarely seen in human history. It is no longer possible for us to accept this inhumane isolation that aims at breaking the deep bond between the Kurdish people and Leader Apo [Öcalan]. Because the isolation in Imrali is an attack on the free life project of the peoples. Our people no longer have the patience to live with the Imrali system. Our struggle will continue uninterruptedly to overcome all obstacles to Öcalan's freedom.”

The statement continued: “Öcalans democratic, ecological and women's liberation ideas are spreading more widely as they are known and learned, and as they spread, they are embraced and defended more. Because there is no place for fascism, racism, nationalism, sexism, injustice and immorality in Apo's system of thought. Therefore, to defend Öcalan is to oppose racism, nationalism, male domination and anti-nature. To defend Öcalan is to protect the values ​​of social democracy and freedom-equality in the 21st century.

The defeat and collapse of the conspiratorial forces and the colonialist Turkish state will accelerate with a determined and uninterrupted widespread resistance and all-out struggle wherever we live and in every area we found ourselves.”

Demonstrations and actions will take place in the following cities:

Berlin

Breitscheidplatz

Time: 16:00

Dusseldorf

DGB House

Time: 14:30

Hamburg

Gansemarkt

Time: 15:00

Darmstadt

Caroline Platz

Time: 14:00

Hanover

opernplatz

Time: 14:00

Saabrücken

Europa Gallery

Time: 15:00

Freiburg

Platz der alten Synagogue

Time: 16:00

Munich

Georg-Freundorfer Platz

Time: 17:00

Stuttgart

Lautenschlagerstr.

Time: 15:30

PKK calls for global resistance

The Executive Committee of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has issued a statement on the abduction of Abdullah Öcalan from Kenya to Turkey on 15 February 1999. The PKK pointed out that 23 years have passed since Öcalan was taken to Turkey. Within this period, the aim of the international conspiracy - the annihilation of Öcalan and the crushing of the Kurdish liberation movement - has not been achieved, said the PKK which also commemorated those who died in the protests after Öcalan's capture.

The PKK statement published on Sunday said:

"The international conspiracy against Abdullah Öcalan began on 9 October 1998 [with his forced departure from Syria]. The aim was his annihilation.

After various methods of elimination were unsuccessful, he was kidnapped in Kenya on 15 February 1999 and extradited to the Republic of Turkey to be executed. Since the death penalty was not carried out, he was to be worn down within the system of torture and isolation established on Imrali in order to enforce his ideological-political defeat.

This procedure also did not produce the desired result. An attempt was then made to split the PKK from within with a provocatively destructive line so that Abdullah Öcalan would no longer have an organisation. In the further course, various intrigues and machinations such as the 'Imrali talks' [in the supposed negotiations for a solution of the Kurdish question] were tried to bring the plot to a successful conclusion.

Since all these attacks failed, the attempt is now being made to take revenge with total isolation. The international conspiracy continues today with the isolation torture on Imrali, the classification of the PKK as a terrorist organisation and methods such as repression, suppression, massacres and genocide against the Kurdish people.

The plot against Ocalan was decided, planned and carried out by the US government as an extermination strike against Kurdish existence and freedom. In the past 24 years, the various governments of the US have sought support from Israel and Britain in particular, as well as from Egypt, France, Germany, Russia, Greece, Kenya and other states as needed. It is obvious that the plot aims at genocide of the Kurdish people and is a joint attack of the global power system of states. The Republic of Turkey is used as a guardian, but the Imrali system is maintained by the global attack partnership.

We as a movement and a people must never forget these facts, even the friends of the Kurdish people must be aware of them. With this awareness, we must fight against the international conspiracy and hold the powers involved accountable.”

In its statement, the PKK stressed that the plot is a global attack that affects the peoples of Turkey and the Middle East beyond the Kurdish people, adding, “Similarly, the resistance against it must take place on a global level, which is also being done internationally with the campaign "Dem Dema Azadiyê" (Time for Freedom).”

The PKK Executive Committee called for this struggle to be intensified in order to smash the fascism of the AKP/MHP regime and to achieve the release of Öcalan.