An international women's delegation has been in Turkey since 8 December for talks with various institutions on the human rights situation. The delegation consists of seven women who work in various countries in the fields of politics, law, ecology and civil society. Following talks in Istanbul and Amed (tr. Diyarbakir), the group presented their impressions and formulated demands at a press conference in the Istanbul office of the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD).

DEM deputy Ceylan Akça made an introductory statement and said that the women from Scotland, Catalonia, England, Lebanon and Mexico came to Turkey for an exchange with civil society organisations and focused particularly on women's organisations. The visit took place under the impression of the struggle for a solution to the Kurdish question and the lifting of the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan: "We are in a climate in which all Kurdish rights are under attack. The delegation had the opportunity to observe this climate and will pass on these observations."

Eva Schonveld, a member of the delegation from Scotland, then presented a joint statement and talked about the main topics brought to the agenda during their talks about the situation of the Kurdish people and other minorities in Turkey.

Referring to the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan and ever-worsening conditions in prisons across the country, Schonveld stated that Turkey failed in terms of human rights, also citing testimonies of families who were denied the right to proper burial for their loved ones.

Eva Schonveld pointed out that these are practices that are prohibited by international law and conventions and expressed concern for the political prisoners who went on hunger strike 19 days ago using the only means to protest against inhumane practices and conditions.

“As a delegation, we support the demand of hunger strikers to end the isolation Abdullah Öcalan and all political prisoners,” she said.

We have seen clear and convincing evidence that the Turkish judicial system is being used extrajudicially for the political oppression of the Kurdish people, said Eva Schonveld and referred to the AKP’s appointment of trustees to replace the democratically elected local administrators “as a means of ethnic cleansing with the accusation of terrorism.”

Eva Schonveld listed the delegation's demands as follows:

- Reinstating of the Istanbul Convention,

- Action from own states and EU member countries in holding Turkey accountable for human rights abuses of the Kurdish people and all oppressed minority groups,

- A hold to the attacks on Rojava and immediate withdrawal of Turkish troops from all occupied areas in Syria and Rojava,

- The immediate end of the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan and recognition of his roles as a democratic leader of the Kurdish people and his release,

- The release of all political prisoners,

- Action from own states and other European countries to ensure an end to the isolation of prisoners as a form of torture, to delist the PKK as a terrorist organisations as a means to find a democratic solution for the Kurdish people.