Julie Ward, a former member of the European Parliament, Prof. Radha D'Souza, Head of the EU-Turkey Citizens' Commission (EUTCC) Kariane Westrheim and Kurdish Solidarity Collective Coordinator Fazela Mohamed spoke about the ongoing isolation on Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan.

Freedom is crucial for peace

Julie Ward said that she has been working for Abdullah Öcalan's freedom throughout the entire European parliamentary mandate, and that all her diplomatic efforts are still directed towards Abdullah Öcalan's freedom. She added that she has also met with the CPT many times over this. “We know very well that international norms are not followed in any way. Abdullah Öcalan's freedom is very important for peace. We have to keep saying this. Keeping Abdullah Öcalan in isolation and prison for such a long time is absolutely unacceptable for the Kurdish people. We should say that human rights are not respected in any way, and international agreements are not followed. We have to continue to fight for Abdullah Öcalan's freedom, to talk about freedom and to raise our voices within the framework of peace."

International solidarity is a condition

International law professor Radha D'Souza said that ensuring the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan is their priority and drew attention to the need for international solidarity for the success of the struggle.

Prof. D'Souza said: “Kurds have achieved great success by showing common solidarity with other countries and regions. The Kurds have succeeded in sharing their righteousness in their struggles with both third world countries and first world countries/peoples. Thanks to this success of the Kurds, today, activists from South Africa, India, the Philippines and at the same time from Europe are expressing their solidarity to the Kurdish people."

Öcalan is himself peace

EUTCC President Kariane Westrheim said that they want the Kurdish people's leader to play his role in the peace talks and added: “Abdullah Öcalan himself means peace. The international community and international organizations can no longer ignore the Kurds. The Kurds are now very strong and can assert their own existence. In this context, it is very important for us to act in a planned way so that we can make progress. Progress in a planned way is of great importance for us to become even stronger in the Kurdish issue."

We should side with Kurds

Fazela Mohamed, Coordinator of the Kurdish Solidarity Collective from South Africa, said: “We want the Turkish state to be ready to hold peace talks with Abdullah Öcalan, the only recognized leader of the Kurdish people, and to create a stable environment of trust in the region. No struggle can succeed without international solidarity. In order to cope with oppressive regimes like the Turkish state, we need to prove that the peoples of the world stand by the Kurdish people."