‘We will continue our protest until the CPT sends a delegation to Imrali’

In front of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, the vigil initiated by the action group “Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan” on 1 December continued under the motto “Freedom shall prevail, act for Öcalan”. The action is organised by new groups daily.

Fırat Vural, TAJE member Zekiye Ağırman, Çavreş Tori, and FCDK/KAWA Co-chair Abdülvahap Alper who are joining the vigil spoke to ANF regarding the purpose of the protest.

Fırat Vural, who takes part in the protest on behalf of the Frankfurt Kurdish Community Center, called attention to Turkey’s human rights violations.

 

Noting that the isolation conditions imposed on Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan have affected all prisoners, Vural said, “As you are aware, December 10 is Human Rights Day. Various events are being held around the world to commemorate this milestone between December 10 and December 17. This week, the Kurdish Community Centers in Germany are commemorating Abdullah Öcalan. We are involved in a variety of initiatives concerning Öcalan. Because the isolation system on Imrali has extended throughout Turkey, it is vital to begin evaluating the human rights situation in Turkey and Imrali.

The lawlessness seen on Imrali can be observed in other prisons. The country experienced a pleasant environment when talks with Abdullah Öcalan took place, but as the isolation grows, this circumstance affects all prisons. The fact that the Kurdish People’s Leader was given a punishment for pacing, as well as the ban on family and lawyer visits, demonstrate how Turkey’s human rights problem has worsened. Of course, all political prisoners are affected by these violations. People who have been imprisoned for 30 years are not released under the guise of disciplinary action. The majority of them are ill prisoners. The human rights breaches against sick prisoners originate from the practices on İmralı. All of the state’s legal and political choices take effect first in Imrali and afterwards in other jails.

As Kurds, we are trying to make our voices heard by the European Parliament and other legal institutions at the heart of European politics in order to reject and respond to the isolation. Pressure to be applied on Turkey by the EU, EC, and CPT regarding the isolation will have an influence not only on Imrali, but also on other prisons. Following prior applications by ÖHD, İHD, and TİHV, the Council of Europe (CoE) Committee of Ministers issued a resolution last week, requesting that Turkey produce information on Abdullah Öcalan by September 2022, at the latest, within the framework of ECtHR judgments. This crisis is always on Turkey’s agenda. We, the Kurdish Community Centers in Germany, are here to raise our voices during Human Rights Week.”

‘NO NEWS FROM THE LEADER FOR 8 MONTHS’

One of the participants in the protest, Zekiye Arman, a member of Free Yazidi Women’s Movement (Tevgera Jînen Azad Ezidî, TAJE), noted that Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan has been imprisoned by the Turkish state for 23 years and stated, “The Leader cannot interact with his family and attorneys, he is in aggravated isolation. We as Yazidi women do not accept this.  We’ve been on vigil in front of the CPT for almost 11 years. If  European institutions are really democratic, they should send a delegation to inform the public about the leader. We shall continue to engage in democratic actions until a delegation arrives in Imrali.

Last Thursday, the German government announced the sentence of an ISIS member in Frankfurt, Germany. We were relieved as Yazidis, but a few days later, the Turkish state attacked Shengal, where ISIS gangs had previously perpetrated a massacre. Comrade Merwan Bedel (Co-Chair of the Shengal Autonomous Administration Executive Council), a Yazidi leader, was assassinated in Khanasor. From here, I appeal to the Yazidi people, and all the Kurds, to stand up for Shengal. We, the Yazidi people, will never accept these attacks, and no matter how hard the Turkish state tries to weaken us, we will grow stronger. Thousands will follow in the footsteps of Merwans, Zekis, and Zerdeshts.

Many powers, notably Turkey and European states, intended to destroy the Yazidis in 2014, but guerrillas from the mountains of freedom defended them. Later, they liberated Shengal and organized the people. Despite the guerilla departing Shengal, the Turkish state attacks and massacres Yazidis every few months. We will continue to resist, no matter how hard they try. We will remain devoted to the leader and the PKK as long as we exist. Our red line is our leader and guerrilla warfare. It is my appeal to all Yazidis to support the leader and the guerrillas. With respect, I commemorate all the martyrs of freedom in the person of Comrade Merwan on this occasion. “

 

‘WHY DOES THE BARZANI FAMILY ALLOW TENS OF TURKISH STATE BASES?’

Another activist, Çavreş Tori from the Saarbrücken group, said: “With the idea and philosophy he founded, our leader opened us to the entire world. When ISIS gangs stormed Shengal in 2014, the guerrillas based on the Leader’s philosophy rushed to the help of the Yazidi people, who afterwards declared their autonomy and began to rule themselves. Since then, the Turkish state has been attacking Shengal using European weapons. They are assassinating our Yazidî people and leaders. They do not want the Kurdish people to be freed, nor do they want the Yazidi people to be able to govern themselves.

The Barzani family is one of those responsible for these massacres. They say that ‘you will either be our slaves like previously, or we will not allow you to govern yourselves’. We also have criticism for the Barzani family. If you regard yourself as a representative of the Kurdish people, if Bashur is a free Kurdistan, why are there hundreds of Turkish bases in those regions, and why is the Turkish state allowed to invade there? The Iraqi government is partly to blame for this scenario. It should oppose the Turkish state invading its territory with tanks and artillery in this manner.

We are taking this action to demand the freedom of our leader and the acknowledgement of Kurdish rights. The atrocities against our people continue. Thousands of political prisoners, including sick inmates, are held in Turkish prisons. There is no such thing as lawfulness. If CPT and the EU really care about human rights, they should respond against the Turkish government’s illegal treatment of leaders and political prisoners. As Kurds, we want to live freely and equally like other peoples.”

 

‘THE ONLY CONCERN OF EUROPEAN COUNTRIES IS SELLING WEAPONS’

FCDK/KAWA Co-chair Abdülvahap Alper stated, “It is wrong to keep a people’s leader in isolation for 23 years. The CPT is a so-called torture prevention committee but they become mute and deaf when the Kurdish people are involved. This is unacceptable. If you decide on certain regulations, they should apply to everyone.

Despite the fact that there has been so much illegality committed against the Kurdish people and the leader, we observe that these institutions do nothing. European countries act in their own self-interest. Their sole concern is to sell more weapons. They do not fulfil any of their obligations to the Kurdish people. We do not accept this. We will fight for the freedom of the Leader until the very end,” he said.

 

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