A meeting was held at the United Kingdom Parliament titled “State law in Turkey, human rights and Abdullah Öcalan case”.

At the meeting the hunger strikes in Turkey, Kurdistan, Europe and Canada were discussed as well as isolation against the Kurdish leader.

Speakers underlined that the health condition of HDP Hakkari MP Leyla Güven has reached a critical stage and the Turkish state was urged to act before it was too late.

The meeting, on Tuesday evening, was attended by Ibrahim Bilmez, one of Abdulah Öcalan’s lawyers, Sinn Fein MP Francie Molloy; Unite union international representative, Simon Dubbins, academic Thomas Jeffrey Miley, Human Rights lawyer Margaret Owen, Freedom for Öcalan International Initiative spokesperson Reimar Heider, Secretary General of the People’s Tribunal Gianni Tognoni.

Elif Sarıcan coordinated the meeting organized jointly by the British Kurdish People's Assembly, the Peace in Kurdistan, the KNK and the Öcalan Freedom Campaign.

Bobby Sands and Leyla Güven

Irish Sinn Fein MP Frankie Molloy, who hosted the meeting, said Irish people are familiar with the resistance of the Kurdish people and pledged to increase solidarity.

“In this critical period, we need to raise our voice even more. - said Molloy - For me there is a different meaning and importance. We are a people who are aware of hunger strike actions. Bobby Sands and his friends lost their lives in hunger strikes. We know very well how important and vital solidarity among peoples is. When Bobby Sands and his friends were on a hunger strike, we witnessed solidarity from many parts of the world. Now it is necessary to widen the solidarity with Leyla Güven and her friends. We call for their demands to be fulfilled before it is too late and we call for freedom for Öcalan.”

Ibrahim Bilmez, one of the lawyers of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan, after recalling conditions in Imralı, said that the State's isolation policy also showed its approach to the solution of the Kurdish problem. Bilmez said: “Isolation means no solution to the Kurdish problem. The Turkish state's approach towards Mr Öcalan is the same as its approach towards the Kurdish issue. Since the beginning the Turkish state wanted to end Öcalan psychologically by introducing isolation. Mr. Öcalan, on the other hand, has resisted with even stronger determination and has worked hard for the democratic solution of the Kurdish question.”

Güven and her friends are determined

Leyla Güven and her friends reiterated that they are committed to continue their action, said Bilmez, adding: “Leyla Güven and her friends are determined. They're ready to die. The situation of Güven is very critical. All democratic circles need to be aware of that. In Turkey there are many media not talking about the situation and many people are not even aware of the hunger strike in Turkey.”

Bilmez underlined that should deaths occur during the hunger strike action it would close the circle of emotional rupture affecting the Kurdish people. “If the hunger strike ends with death, - said Bilmez - it will close the circle of death opened in Sur, Cizre, Nusaybin. All emotional ties of Kurds will get broken. Turkey will be dragged into dangerous chaos.”

Dubbing: 15 unions are part of the Freedom for Öcalan Campaign

“The values ​​and principles promoted by Öcalan and the Kurdish movement are the same values ​​of the labor movement”, said Simon Dubbins, International representative of Unite trade union.

“We have been fighting for years in defence of the same values. Therefore, the reason for our solidarity with the Kurds is very clear. That's why we launched the Freedom for Öcalan Campaign.”

Dubbins, who said their campaign continued to grow, said: “15 unions representing 6 million workers are official executives of the campaign, and this number will continue to grow. Our struggle will not stop until Öcalan is freed.”

"Prisons are like concentration camps"

Leading human rights lawyer Margaret Owen had just returned from a visit to Amed. She drew attention to the situation of prisons in Turkey saying: “Prisons have turned into concentration camps, torture centers. - she said - There is no fair trial, prisoners are being held in preventive detention for years. We just returned from Diyarbakir. Leyla Güven was on her 66th day of hunger strike. “We wanted to visit her. As you know, Boby Sands lost his life on his 66th day of hunger strike. Not only were we not allowed to visit Leyla, but we were also brutally attached by  police.”

"We can change the world"

Drawing attention to Abdullah Öcalan's views, Owen said: “No male leader in the world has so far played such a role in addressing gender equality and freedom. The model proposed by Öcalan is a model the world needs. We can change the world.”

After the speeches, Ilhan Şiş joined the meeting by phone from Newport in Wales where he has reached day 40 of his hunger strike.