Strasbourg Vigil: If the resistance grows, it will succeed

Since 1 December, a new protest action for the freedom of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan has been taking place in front of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg under the slogan “Freedom shall prevail, act for Öcalan”. Participants in the action demand EU sanctions against Turkey and call for the expansion of resistance.

“We have to stop the cruelty of the Turkish state”

Adil Amed from the Kurdish umbrella organisation in France (CDK-F) spoke to ANF and said: “For a long time, there has been no news from Öcalan. The Turkish state is enforcing an extra-legal, inhumane isolation regime against him, which has reached the level of torture. There have already been actions against this in prisons and in Europe. This allowed the issue to be put on the agenda somewhat and short visits could be made or news from Imrali leaked out. But afterwards, the isolation continued even more intensified.”

 

“Prisons have become houses of death”

Amed also addresses the situation of sick prisoners and stated: “Turkish fascism deliberately sentences prisoners to death. That is how it wants to punish them. Some friends who have even spent 30 years in prison are not released.”

The activist continued, “We appeal to both the Council of Europe and other relevant institutions in Europe, but also to our people. They must stand up against this illegal, inhumane oppression and finally speak out. They must say ‘stop’. The prisons have become houses of death. Every day coffins come out and are quietly buried. No one hears the cry of the prisoners, no one gives them a voice. In this sense, we call on our people, the European institutions and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture to act. They must put a stop to the repression of Turkish fascism in the prisons.

All this is related to the isolation of the Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. This isolation is directed against the hopes, the will for freedom and the dreams of the Kurdish people. The isolation of Öcalan means genocide against the Kurdish people. It means inviting genocide. This must be understood clearly.

“When isolation ends, repression will end”

One should not consider Öcalan as an individual. He is the institutional representative of a people and that is how his situation must be addressed. It is because we know the importance of this that we advocate for him so fiercely, raise our voices so clearly and call him ‘leader’. Therefore, we consider the isolation of Öcalan as the basis of all problems. When the isolation of Öcalan ends, the repression and the fascist system in the prisons will also end. It will give way to a democratic process. There would then be greater implementation of human rights and legal norms enshrined in international law.”

“We are determined and we will resist”

Şahin Polat from Normandy said: “We have come here to create greater publicity with this vigil and to be able to bring the isolation to the attention of all peoples.” Criticising the international silence on Öcalan’s isolation, Polat continued, “We are determined and we will resist. We will continue this action until we get our rights. We know very well that these rights cannot be considered independently of the freedom of the Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan.”

Polat continued: “The system is trying to perpetuate isolation because it sees it as a way out of its own crisis. Isolation is a disaster for the peoples. We know very well that Abdullah Öcalan’s freedom is indispensable to ensure that the Kurdish people, the Alevis, the Yazidis, the Christians, all the peoples and identities living in the region can live together as brothers and sisters under the umbrella of a democratic federation and to end the bloodshed in the Middle East. We are determined to the end. We will be active in all fields until we achieve Öcalan’s freedom. We appeal to everyone to support these efforts.”

 

“Europe turns a deaf ear”

Tansu Tek, who comes from Paris, talked about Turkey’s use of chemical weapons and the collaboration of the EU, saying: “We are here because the Turkish state has been using chemical weapons against the guerrillas and the people for months. We do not accept this. While European states should not accept this either, young people were arrested in the Netherlands for protesting against this. A month or two ago, a vigil in Strasbourg was attacked by the French police. We will not accept that. On the one hand, the CPT and ECtHR make statements, but on the other hand, they are not put into practice. The European states are deaf, dumb and blind. We will make ourselves heard as Kurdish people by raising our voice against both the use of chemical weapons and the isolation of Öcalan. We will lead this struggle to victory by expanding it. There is no other way.”

 

“Guerrillas and the people will prevent the occupation through their resistance”

Murat Demir from Kurdish Red Crescent Heyva Sor a Kurdistanê said: “We are here today to protest against the isolation of Öcalan, the attacks of the Turkish state on Southern Kurdistan, especially on the Medya Defense Zones, and the attacks of ISIS on Southern Kurdistan. We want Europe to hear our voices, but Europe is acting hypocritically. Erdoğan was an enemy of Europe when ISIS attacked Europe, but now he is an ally again. The Turkish state has been unable to make progress in Zap, Avaşîn and Metîna for eight months, as it faces fierce guerrilla resistance. The resistance is also continuing in Europe. Therefore, the Turkish state will never be able to occupy Kurdistan.

“Implement sanctions against isolation”

“We want Europe to work for the isolation of Öcalan to be lifted. If Europe were sincere, it would have to impose sanctions on the Turkish state, which simply ignores the decisions and judgments. Why is this not happening? Thousands of our politicians and mayors are imprisoned, but the European states ignore this. If you talk about it, they claim they haven’t heard about it. That is just hypocritical. They should not behave so hypocritically towards the Kurdish people. Europe owes its present life to the Kurdish people. Because the young people of Kurdistan have sacrificed their lives for humanity and for freedom. Knowing this, Europe must stand against isolation and for the freedom of Öcalan. We will do everything in our power to ensure the freedom of the leader. We will never accept the isolation of our leader. We say, ‘Either freedom or liberty’ and ‘Either a free leader or death’. Nothing can stop us.”