More than 40 trade unions, political parties, legal, political and civil society experts, and others will demand action to ensure the security and well-being of jailed Kurdish political leader Mr. Abdullah Ocalan in an emergency press briefing to be held at 11:00 AM Thursday, July 26, 2023 in front of the European Parliament in Brussels.

Mr. Ocalan has been prevented from communicating with the outside world for 28 months. The Government of Turkey prevents him from meeting with his relatives and his legal team in violation of international law. The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) has regularly criticized Turkish authorities for these violations—but has not yet released adequate information on its September 2022 visit to the maximum-security prison on Imrali Island where Mr. Ocalan is held.

The press briefing will highlight the completely inadequate position of European governments, European Union (EU) human rights organizations, and the Council of Europe in this context. Their failure to act makes them complicit in the violation of Mr. Ocalan’s rights and the broader negative impacts of his isolation on efforts to find a peaceful resolution to Turkey’s Kurdish question. It will also propose concrete actions that Turkey, European governments and institutions, and the international community as a whole can take to address this situation.

Moderator:

Sarah Glyyn, Author and Representative for Permanent Vigil for Ocalan

Speakers:

Simon Dubbins, Director of International - Unite the Union (UNITE), UK

Baroness Christine Blower, UK

Antonio Amoroso, CUB People's Union, Italy

Michela Arricale, lawyer CRED (Research and Processing Center for Democracy),
Italy

Amedeo Ciaccheri, President of the municipality VIII. in Rome-Italy

Saverio Nonno, Mayor of Fossalto, Italy

Laura De Bonfils, ARCI. Italy

Luigi De Magistris, former mayor of Naples, Italy

Vicente Jose Rekondo, LAB Representative

Daniel Kopp, Member of the Secretariat of PI, Belgium

Roza Salih, Glasgow Councilor, Scotland

Mike Arnott President of the Scottish Trade Union Congress (TUC), UK