Swiss newspaper publishes ad for Öcalan’s freedom

An advertisement demanding freedom for Öcalan was published in the February 15 issue of Tages-Anzeiger. Founded in 1989, Tages-Anzeiger is not only an influential newspaper, but also the largest one in the canton.

The advertisement emphasized the importance of the release of Öcalan and all political prisoners for a permanent peace and democracy in the Middle East.

“On February 15, 1999, the founder of the PKK, Abdullah Öcalan, was kidnapped from Kenya, the capital city of Nairobi, to Turkey as a result of an international conspiracy. Since then, Öcalan has been held under aggravated isolation on the island of İmralı. Abdullah Öcalan has dedicated his life to peace, democracy and the solution to the Kurdish problem,” the advertisement said.

“During the decades-old conflicts with the Turkish state, Öcalan himself declared a unilateral ceasefire offering a series of constructive solutions and took steps to promote peace and democracy during the negotiation process with Turkey between 2012 and 2015 while he was imprisoned in Imrali.

In 2005 and 2006, 3.5 million Kurds declared that “Abdullah Öcalan represents my political will”, and in 2015, more than 10 million people expressed their demand for Öcalan’s release. Hence, Öcalan is not only an influential political figure, but also a leader who advocates a peaceful solution to the Kurdish problem and is a political actor who can play a role in the democratization of the entire region.

Öcalan, the architect of the democratic confederal project in Rojava, champions a democratic and peaceful solution for the region embroiled in chaos and crises. The international community is aware of the fact that the Turkish state is behind the current chaos and escalation in the Middle East. Abdullah Öcalan’s ideas about a permanent peace will have a great impact on putting an end to the ongoing chaos. Therefore, the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan and all political prisoners will make a significant contribution to meeting the demands of the peoples of the region for a permanent peace and democracy,” the advertisement concluded.