President of EFA: Isolation of Öcalan must end

President of the European Free Alliance, Lorena Lopez de Lacalle, described Abdullah Öcalan as a charismatic leader who fought for the freedom of his people and called for an immediate end to the aggravated isolation imposed on him.

While the aggravated absolute isolation imposed on Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan continues for 32nd month, statements of support come from the international arena for the "Freedom for Öcalan, political solution to the Kurdish question" initiative that started on 10 October. Speaking to ANF, European Free Alliance (EFA) President Lorena Lopez de Lacalle criticized the isolation imposed on Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan and said that the Turkish state should return to the negotiation process with the Kurds.

'Kurdish people are being punished in the person of Öcalan'

"These conditions of isolation imposed on Abdullah Öcalan are an absolute and complete denial and violation of respect for international law," said EFA President Lorena Lopez de Lacalle, adding that the Turkish state disregards the international laws that it is obliged to comply with. Lopez de la Calle underlined the need for human rights to be observed and respected not only outside the prison but also inside the prison, and said: "Isolating Abdullah Öcalan also means punishing his family and the Kurdish people."

'There should be a negotiation process involving Öcalan'

Emphasizing the importance of Abdullah Öcalan's democratic confederalism paradigm, Lopez de Lacalle said: “Considering that Abdullah Öcalan has adopted democratic confederalism for a very long time and thus sought a democratic way for the existence of the Kurdish people, the isolation conditions he is in today are unacceptable. We are completely against this isolation."

Lopez de Lacalle continued: “Abdullah Öcalan should take part in all negotiations. If there is to be a peace process, Öcalan must take part in this process. This situation is very clear whether Erdogan wants this or not. Therefore, the solution to the Kurdish question lies in dialogue and negotiation in which Abdullah Öcalan should take part."

'A charismatic leader who defends his people'

Describing Abdullah Öcalan as "a charismatic and consistent leader who has been insisting on a democratic political solution for the Kurdish people for decades", Lopez de Lacalle noted that the attitude put forward by Öcalan for the solution of the Kurdish question should be embraced by Europe. “Europe should not succumb to the blackmail of the wars taking place today. It is a fact that we are experiencing a complete loss of humanity in Palestine or Israel's attacks. These wars are reaching this point precisely because we do not take action and do not produce solutions to the problems. These wars have come to this point today because we did not do anything in time for Kurdistan, the people of the Sahara and Palestine. We do not want violence to escalate anywhere. We believe that it is essential to pave the way for dialogue and negotiation for peace and democracy in the world. In this sense, we find Öcalan's calls for peace and dialogue very positive."

'Europe's silence is hypocrisy'

Lopez de Lacalle also criticized Europe's silence about the war waged by the Turkish state in Kurdistan, especially in Rojava, and said: "This attitude of Europe is hypocrisy. We condemn this hypocrisy. It is clear that the Turkish state's attacks on Rojava are not only a violation of human rights, but also an intervention and occupation in the internal affairs of a country."

'Turkey's main aim is to destroy the system in Rojava'

Stating that the main purpose of the Turkish state's attacks on Rojava is to destroy the system built in Rojava, Lopez de Lacalle continued: “Rojava proved that a democratic political system has been implemented in the region. The system in Rojava is a political system based on bottom-up democracy that challenges the autocratic path that dictators want to maintain. It creates democracy from the ground up. The aim of the Turkish state's attacks is to destroy this system. We should never accept that such a system is targeted. Europe sells its democracy very cheaply. It is making economic agreements with Turkey to prevent immigrants from coming to Europe. Due to these agreements, Europe remains silent about all rights violations by Turkey and Erdogan in Rojava and in Turkey."