Omer Ocalan: If the gates to Imrali close, chaos will only deepen

HDP MP Omer Ocalan said, “If Mr. Ocalan enters the stage, peace will come. If the gates to Imrali are blocked, chaos will deepen.”

The visits to Imrali that were reinstated on May 2 haven’t been allowed for almost a month since the AKP lost the Istanbul elections on June 23.

Ocalan’s family member and HDP Urfa MP Omer Ocalan pointed out that the visits started after the hunger strikes and death fasts.

Ocalan spoke to the Mesopotamia Agency and said, “Visits were reinstated after a price was paid so Mr. Ocalan could contact his people.” Ocalan added that the state launched speculation efforts with the start of the visits, and called these policies “cheap approaches”.

“OCALAN ALLOWS TURKEY AND THE MIDDLE EAST TO BREATHE”

Omer Ocalan said Abdullah Ocalan allows Turkey and the Middle East to breathe and it is important to remain in contact with him:

“After June 18, the gates of Imrali island have been closed again. Mr. Ocalan’s views must reach society. But the AKP-MHP have this understanding of threats and eliminations against the gains Kurds have made. The Kurdish people’s efforts have partially voided this. Mr. Ocalan has said repeatedly that he ‘cannot be made to swim in an empty pool’. For the country to breathe easy, Mr. Ocalan must be provided a space.”

WARNING AGAINST “CHAOS”

The country is caught in a downward spiral. The system in Turkey is stuck. AKP and MHP’s legitimacy is in question. As such, nobody should accept this isolation. If Mr. Ocalan enters the stage, peace will come and a solution will be discussed. There is a war and conflict that has continued for a hundred years, that will advance to a solution. If contact with Mr. Ocalan is cut off, if he can’t have a way to relay his thoughts to the outside world, if the gates to Imrali are blocked, chaos will deepen in the country.

Ocalan has a position where he can end the chaos and crisis in the country. He is the head negotiator in the solution to the Kurdish issue. The state must accept this. Nothing can be achieved through meetings with ideologues and village guard chiefs. They can only contribute to Mr. Ocalan’s solution. They are not the interlocutor in the solution. The state must see the reality of Mr. Ocalan’s leadership. They did this from 2013 to 2015. The state’s mindset then and the state’s practice now are not compatible. The state pushing forth anti-Ocalan and anti-Kurdish policies will take away from this country.

“AKP IS DELUSIONAL”

Did you expect these people to vote for you in the Istanbul elections after the destruction, evacuation of cities and killing of thousands of people from 2015 to 2019? That is where the AKP is delusional. They used all the state apparatus of oppression against this people, they imposed an unbroken isolation against the leader of this people, they tried to instrumentalize certain situations right before June 23 - and then expected the Kurdish people to support the AKP. These are all delusions. This is not something accepted by the Kurdish people. If the AKP and MHP act to instrumentalize the values of the Kurdish people to fortify their hold on power, they will lose. This issue must be approached in good faith.”

“INVASION ATTACKS ARE CONNECTED TO THE ISOLATION”

Omer Ocalan pointed to the invasion attacks against Southern Kurdistan and said it is not possible for the Kurdish issue to be resolved through policies of war: “Today the invasion and war in Southern Kurdistan is connected to the isolation in Imrali. The state thinks they can get results through wrongful policies. There will be more pain, there will be more loss of life, the animosity between the peoples will deepen. Those who think the Kurdish people will step back from their rightful demands are wrong today, as they were wrong yesterday.”