PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, who was brought to Turkey on February 15, 1999 by an international conspiracy, has been held in isolation for more than 25 years. This unlawfulness in İmralı has continued for the last 42 months with incommunicado. 

 

The “Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, democratic solution to the Kurdish issue” campaign, which was launched on October 10, 2023, against the failure of national and international legal mechanisms, is on the public agenda with various actions and events. While 69 Nobel Laureates have called for an end to the isolation, a group of intellectuals, writers, socialists and human rights defenders in Kurdistan and Turkey declared the Justice Against Isolation Initiative on August 5. 

 

Öztürk Türkdoğan, co-spokesperson of the Legal Commission of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), which takes part in the initiative, made evaluations on the initiative, isolation and Abdullah Öcalan's role in the solution. 

 

'ÖCALAN SHOWS THE WAY OUT'

 

Reminding that Abdullah Öcalan's position is very important in the eyes of the Kurdish people, Türkdoğan underlined that Öcalan should be considered a “people's leader” due to his current position. Türkdoğan said that the isolation of Öcalan is deepened because of his ideas showing the way out of the “swamp of the nation-state” and added that the country was left with economic, political and social crises after the termination of the “peace process” between 2013 and 2015 in Turkey.

 

Stating that isolation is unacceptable, Türkdoğan said that the Justice Against Isolation Initiative was established for the implementation of the law. 

 

PROGRAM OF THE INITIATIVE

 

Türkdoğan pointed out that the initiative will put forward a program to end the isolation and said that this program will include meetings with political parties. Türkdoğan stated that they will inform political parties about the isolation, “We will present them with files describing the current situation. Our only goal here is to ensure that the isolation is really end. This is the concrete goal. We are only and only saying that we will appeal to the conscientious people of this country. We will appeal to intellectuals, journalists. We will explain the situation and we will say, 'You should also make a voice.' You should look for a value wherever you have lost it. In other words, wherever lawlessness and injustice are practiced the most in Turkey, that is where you should look to remedy it,” Türkdoğan said, noting that ECHR judgments and Turkey's laws are not being implemented in İmralı. 

 

Pointing to the protests and activities launched for the lifting of the isolation against Abdullah Öcalan and his physical freedom, Türkdoğan said that the Kurdish issue and Öcalan's ideas are being talked about by the world. 

 

'THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE IS A POLITICAL MECHANISM'

 

Türkdoğan reminded the “violation” verdict of the European Court of Human Rights on Abdullah Öcalan and reacted to the fact that the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which monitors the implementation of the Court's verdicts, put this verdict on its agenda after 7 years. Türkdoğan said that the Council is acting with political motives and stated the following: “Abdullah Öcalan was delivered to Turkey through a NATO operation. Most of the NATO member countries are member countries of the council. The Council is a political mechanism for this reason. It did not put it on its agenda as a political choice.  This is the reason why human rights values have eroded so much. If both the council and the UN had upheld the resolutions produced by human rights mechanisms in a timely manner, there would not be so many wars and conflicts in the world. As a result of the resistance of the Kurdish people, the Committee put the Abdullah Öcalan resolution on its agenda. But what has not happened in Turkey in these 7 years? Turkey was ruled first unofficially and then officially under the state of emergency. Now it is ruled by a presidential model based on one person rule. The pressure has increased, but the people have resisted. The Kurdish people are protecting their gains. Therefore, I would like to emphasize that this is directly linked to resistance and struggle.” 

 

Türkdoğan said that the committee should take a decision to lift the isolation and create conditions for Öcalan's release. 

 

'STILL NO RESPONSE TO APPLICATIONS'

 

Türkdoğan said that the party had previously applied to the Ministry of Justice regarding Abdullah Öcalan but had not yet received a positive or negative response. 

 

MA / Mehmet Aslan