Elisabeth Decrey, Former President of the Parliament of the Republic and Canton of Geneva, Switzerland spoke about “A Political Solution to the Kurdish Question: International Responsibilities and Perspectives” in the second panel at the EUTCC conference at the European Parliament on Friday.

Warner stated: “Every day Turkey is bombing Iraqi Kurdistan. We have also lost count of the number of times that Turkey has been condemned by the European criminal court. Turkey must be held accountable. European states are benefiting from Kurdish forces defeating ISIS. But then they tell the Kurds, “We love you, but we will keep you on our terror lists”. This double standard must end. The Kurdish movement deserves our support against Turkish attacks and oppression.”

Speaking about “From Prison to a Political Solution”, Walter Baier, President of the European Left, said: “It only took 3 weeks for the ICJ to file a case against Putin for his crimes in Ukraine. But what about Erdoğan for his crimes against the Kurds in Turkey? We must hold all leaders accountable equally. A political solution in Turkey requires democracy and freedom of speech. We stand in solidarity with the HDP who is being repressed and imprisoned by the Turkish state. Turkey is imprisoning those who believe in freedom like Mr Öcalan, but it will not stop his ideas.”

Paolo Ferrero, former Minister of Social Affairs in Italy, discussed the title of “International Solidarity: The Path to Freedom”, stating the following: “There are parallels between Antonio Gramsci and Abdullah Öcalan, who both wrote liberatory philosophy from prison. Turkey wants to stop Öcalan’s brain and ideas by locking away his body. We need an international coalition to advocate for the freedom of Öcalan. It is absurd for Turkey to isolate him on an island for 25 years to silence his voice. It is impossible for a state like Turkey to apply to be in the EU while they keep Öcalan in isolation.”

Speaking about “The Freedom Campaign: International Expectations and Importance”, Sinan Önal, political scientist and journalist from Germany congratulated all the activists of the international campaign of Freedom for Öcalan and a democratic solution to the Kurdish question.

Önal stated the following: 

"For most of us here today, this conference will not be the first time we’ve heard calls for Öcalan’s freedom. The audience here has been in many meetings before, panels,  seminars and lectures, and attended marches and demonstrations. It is a very important conference after twenty-five years of struggle, endless legal efforts brought to  the Council of Europe (CoE), the Committee of Prevention Torture (CPT), the European Court for Human Rights (ECfHR), the European Court of Justice (ECJ), the United Nations High Commissionaire for Human Rights (UNHCHR). Campaigns have been held in Turkey, Middle East and throughout Europe, and of ever-worsening repression of the Kurdish people by the brutal authoritarian regime of Erdogan.

For sure, Kurds are not the first colonized nation to have taken this path, walking what South African socialist, national hero and liberation fighter Nelson Mandela famously called the “long road to freedom.” Neither Öcalan nor Mandela, nor the other great figures of national liberation struggles are ever alone. Thanks to the international solidarity offered to both leaders by the socialists, trade unionists, feminists, and all the ordinary people worldwide, each remains connected to a global network of struggle reaching far throughout space and history.

It is important for the whole world to demand freedom for Öcalan because this global capitalist system we live in wants people to forget the word “hope”. I mean, capitalist modernity says that there is no hope anymore for an equal-egalitarian and libertarian future.  What we read in Öcalan’s paradigm is that, for sure, there is still exactly “hope”. Hope is the potential degree at which we struggle.

We don’t know what the future holds: we don’t know when the day will come when Öcalan is freed, and his vision of a better society takes another leap forward. That’s why we continue struggling on all fronts, seeking legal redress, demanding political pressure, and calling protests. All of these rely on support from our international comrades, and all of them can play a part in bringing about Ocalan’s personal freedom.

I say personal freedom, because politically, Öcalan’s ideas remain free, traveling round the world, and inspiring people across six continents. Turkey has not been able to silence his voice within the prison walls. But even though Öcalan’s ideas are inspiring more people than ever, the Kurdish people also face grave, existential threats, and his democratic vision faces violent opposition. Again, the international movement must play their part in keeping this movement alive. But we must also keep working together to liberate Ocalan himself, not only because of the inhumane torture he is suffering, but also because his liberation would mark a truly giant step along the long road to freedom. That’s a road we must all walk together, in international solidarity."