Ahmet Temiz, who was detained in Diyarbakır (Amed) in 1994 and sentenced to life imprisonment by the State Security Court, was released on 18 September after 31 years in prison.

His release had been repeatedly postponed on the grounds that he had “not applied to renounce the organization,” “continued to act collectively with other convicted members,” and “refused to confess to his alleged crime.”

Throughout his 31 years of imprisonment, Temiz was held in the prisons of Diyarbakır, Amasya, Ankara, and Tekirdağ.

Temiz spoke to ANF about the emotions he felt at the moment of his release and said: “When the release order was delivered to me, my excitement grew. I had imagined this day, but I never expected such a welcoming reception from our people. To regain my freedom after 31 years is truly beautiful and deeply meaningful.

Yet, there is a bittersweet feeling. Thousands of our comrades remain behind bars, and Abdullah Öcalan is still not free. I wish we could all step out together before our people and celebrate this moment of joy after so many years. I felt immense honor and happiness to see so many people come to welcome me. We saw this as the result of our years of struggle and effort. It is a feeling difficult to describe, but ultimately a bittersweet joy.

I hope that soon all of us, beginning with Öcalan and including every prisoner, can live freely in this land together with our people within the framework of the process that has been initiated.”

Temiz spoke about his years in prison and said: “Our greatest source of strength and support was always directed outward, toward the struggle and our people. When you are focused on such a goal and such a cause, those narrow spaces cannot confine you. We constantly imagined the outside world and the ongoing struggle. What kept us standing was the struggle of our people. The violations of rights we experienced were always secondary to us.

When the spirit of resistance and longing for our people live within you, one inevitably becomes strong. What kept us alive were the values and the struggle of our people. I can say this not only for myself but for all my comrades: as long as our people and our struggle exist, no space can limit us and no oppression can overpower us. Despite all the pressure, we turned the prisons into spaces of resistance.”

There is intense pressure in prisons

Temiz drew attention to the violations of rights in prisons and the current execution system and said, “There is an execution system imposed on prisons, and it is entirely open to interpretation in every aspect. As a result, what exists on paper has never been implemented in practice. Whether concerning ill prisoners or ordinary rights, everything has always been restricted by the prison administration.

Unfortunately, the legal struggles we have pursued have also yielded no results. There is intense pressure. From ill prisoners to the restriction of newspapers and correspondence, there are serious violations and limitations in every area. The purpose behind the Enforcement Law and the policies that keep political prisoners behind bars has been precisely this. Despite all of this, we tried to push these violations to the background and continued to strengthen our struggle.”

Öcalan must be free

Temiz said they are hopeful about the peace process initiated by Abdullah Öcalan on 27 February and concluded his remarks as follows: “When Öcalan launched the process, I was in prison. We followed the developments through the media. The fact that he brought such a struggle into the political sphere excited us deeply. We trust Öcalan and know that he is a guiding figure.

We had enthusiasm in previous processes as well, but this one has created a different kind of excitement for all of us. It is a very serious and significant process, and we believe that Öcalan will lead it to success. We stand fully behind him as a whole.

Öcalan is the chief architect of this process and must be able to carry it out in a free environment. The necessary conditions must be created to ensure his freedom.”