Denial of the regulation right to vitamin supplements, plus inadequate treatment of one of Ocalan's chronic health conditions by the limited weekly medical examinations he receives, has not improved another potentially life threatening condition.
While the PKK's ongoing guerrilla war campaigns have made Ocalan's preservation important, growth in the freedom movement's support, fed by the abuse of Kurdish populations in Iraq, Syria and Iran means it is no longer in Turkey's interest to eliminate him. Still a Commander of his people, he is also a vital mediator of peace.
Attending the press conference of the "Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan' international campaign launch in Brussels were the Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) deputy Ayla Akat, German deputy Andrej Hunko, Joe Ryan, Chair of Westminster Justice and Peace and Reimar Heider of the international initiative, Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan - Peace in Kurdistan organization.
Sadly, there are currently more than one million Kurdish refugees without sufficient organization to attract public opinion in the western countries. Like sovereignty of their land, the Kurds are divided, making it difficult for them to work together. Websites advocating Ocalan's freedom infer the isolation of the Kurdish people and their inability to unite to achieve the rights, freedoms and privileges enjoyed by so many others. While the Free Nelson Mandela campaign had the backing of the African American organizations and many others, Kurdish organizations in Kurdistan and around the world are reluctant to assist the freedom campaign, with some of them supporting Turkey against the PKK.
While the PKK's ongoing guerrilla wars have made Ocalan's preservation important, growth in the freedom movement's support, fed by the abuse of Kurdish populations in Iraq, Syria and Iran means it is no longer in Turkey's interest to eliminate him. Still a commander of his people, he is also a vital mediator of peace.
Observance of the Sixtieth Birthday of Abdullah Ocalan
In Europe in 2009 the Inter-Parliamentary Working Group for Kurdistan's call for freedom of Abdullah Ocalan and peace in Kurdistan marked the 60th birthday of the PKK leader on 3 April, at the House of Parliament in Brussels. According to the Working Group, peace could only come through dialogue with the PKK and Ocalan as its leader. It also called for the end of his isolation.
The Working Group consisted of several EU MP's and the PKK member Ahmet Dere of the Kurdish National Congress (KNK), who had organized a conference together with the Kurdish Institute in Brussels the previous year. It recalled the speech of Ahmet Türk, chairman of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), who stated that, "Ocalan does play the same role for the Kurds as Nelson Mandela did in South Africa and eventually will have to be released'.
For most of the duration of the Irish Good Friday peace Agreement of April 10, 1998 Abdullah Ocalan has been in prison in Turkey. Despite this, he has become a voice for peace and a leader willing to offer the hand of friendship to those he has fought against for most of his life. Persuading enemies that there are alternative ways to resolve long-standing differences takes patience and a willingness to engage in dialogue, but most importantly, it requires leadership.
Ocalan has demonstrated that leadership. Despite his incarceration, he has forged a road map to peace that commits the Kurdish people to democracy, freedom and tolerance. He argues that it is time to "silence the weapons and let the ideas and politics speak.' Ocalan wants a "new beginning', to bring the Kurdish people's struggle into a new political phase, in which they seek through negotiation to create an equal, free and democratic country for all peoples and cultures.
Every day since 25, June 2012, Kurds have been holding a "Free Ocalan' vigil in front of the Council of Europe building in Strasbourg, France. Every week a new group of activists takes over. October 3, 2013 was the 100th day of the vigil.
External support for the Kurdish cause has been increasing. On September 6, 2012 the South African KHRAG sent a letter of support for the launch of the international campaign, " Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan.' Since 1997 KHRAG has been engaged in seeking peace, human rights and democracy for the Kurdish people in Turkey. The similarities between the struggle of Abdullah Ocalan and Nelson Mandela are striking, while the struggles of the South African and the Kurdish peoples are not dissimilar.
While the South African people have achieved their objective, the Kurdish people are still battling to achieve theirs. Just as Nelson Mandela was instrumental in the fight for the rights of the South African people, so has Abdullah Ocalan's campaign been integral to the has Kurdish people's struggle for their rights. Mandela's release from prison twenty years ago on 11 February, 1990 was the key to the introduction of peace and democracy in South Africa. His release and that of other political prisoners was a precondition to negotiations. Over the last decade, Ocalan has persistently advocated a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue, based on dialogue and negotiation. He has proposed a non-violent resolution of the conflict so that real democracy, justice and human rights can be afforded the Kurdish people. In August 2012, he presented a Road Map to Negotiations for Peace in Turkey. Such initiatives obligate the international community to genuinely constructive responses.
Like Nelson Mandela, Abdullah Ocalan is playing an important role in the Kurdish people's bid for a lasting solution between them and the Turkish peoples. In recognition of this role the KHRAG in South Africa has launched an international campaign to get one million signatures for the release of Abdullah Ocalan, the legitimate leader of the Kurdish people. It has now been joined by the "International Initiative for the Release of Abdullah Ocalan -- Peace in Kurdistan" campaign.
The European Court of Human Rights Court (ECHR) has found that the trial of Abdullah Ocalan in Turkey before a semi military tribunal was unfair. This effectively means that according to the ECHR, his continual imprisonment on Imrali (an island off the coast of Turkey) is unlawful (12). We call on all peace loving people in Europe and the rest of the world to show their support and solidarity for the rights of the Kurdish people and demand the immediate release of Abdullah Ocalan. The people of South Africa and elsewhere have already shown such solidarity by signing the petition (13).
Extension of the Campaign in 2013
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