Another year of vigil outside the Council of Europe, and another gathering of international speakers called by the campaign ‘Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan: A Political Solution for the Kurdish Question’. Again, the campaign highlighted the Council’s failure to fulfil its fundamental role with respect to Abdullah Ocalan – that of protector of human rights and the rule of law.
At all stages, from his capture and trial, to his sentence of life without parole and his isolation from the outside world, Ocalan’s treatment has been illegal and a denial of his basic human rights. But, after the vital stopping of his initial death sentence, the Council’s Institutions have hardly made a difference. Ocalan’s cases in the European Court of Human Rights are drawn out over years, and if they do reach a ruling, the Committee of Ministers takes no concrete action. Recommendations from the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) – the only outsiders permitted to visit Ocalan’s prison – are routinely ignored, without consequence.
The first three speakers on Tuesday were members of parliament, in Strasbourg for the Council’s Parliamentary Assembly.
Paul Govan from Sinn Fein in Ireland castigated the Council for its failure to act as a human rights organisation.
Laura Castel, a Catalan member of the Spanish Parliament, described the Council’s silence on the 25-year imprisonment of Abdullah Öcalan as an example of double standards. She stressed the importance of resolving the Kurdish issue through dialogue, and that Öcalan’s release would be a crucial step towards real peace and the establishment of peace talks to address the Kurdish issue.
And Andrej Hunko from Germany’s BSW Party drew attention to the release that morning of Julian Assange – good news in itself and a source of hope for other campaigns for political prisoners.
Deepa Driver, who acts as a legal observer in the Julian Assange case for the Society of Socialist Lawyers, drew parallels with Assange’s release, stressing the need for Öcalan’s immediate freedom and pledging to speak out on every platform until he’s freed. She observed, ‘Öcalan represents the identity and self-respect of the Kurdish people, their strength, their courage, their willingness to stand here week after week’. And she asked, ‘Does the council see its identity as warmongering and getting involved in all sorts of disgusting international affairs, or does it see its identity as being a voice for peace and justice, a voice for the people of this world, a voice for democracy? If it sees itself as a voice for democracy, then Turkey must be held responsible for its obligations.’
Remy Pagani, former mayor of Geneva and a deputy for the canton, demanded that Turkey be held to account for Öcalan’s continued isolation, and also that Netanyahu be held to account for genocide in Gaza.
Babara Pade-Theisen – a medical doctor who works with the Women’s Academy for Matriarchal Studies – combined humanitarian concerns and concerns about Öcalan’s health with an appreciation of his ideas.
Madeleine Mawamba and Elizabeth Ngrai spoke on behalf of the Berlin-Brandenburg Women in Exile Association, demonstrating the importance of Öcalan’s ideas for women everywhere and the inspiration provided by the Kurdish women’s movement.
Rudolf Bürgel, from the German Left Party (Die Linke), spoke of the defence of Kurdish rights since the foundation of the PKK, and called for the lifting of the ban on the PKK in Germany. He emphasised that Öcalan’s ideas are essential not only for Kurdish freedom but also for the liberation of all peoples in the region.
Renée Le Mignot spoke on behalf of MRAP – the mouvement contre le racisme et pour l’amitié entre les peuples. She referenced the achievements of those who followed Öcalan’s ideas, especially in Rojava.
The final speaker was Francesca Trasatti, an Italian lawyer from the Economics and Law Research Centre (CRED) and an executive in the party, Power to the People. She spoke about the legal situation and the need for the CPT to invoke ‘Article 10/2’ so that they can speak publicly about the conditions in İmralı, but she also reminded us that the problem is not about law but about politics.
The event closed with five fundamental demands:
1/ In light of the severe violations of international law with respect to Abdullah Öcalan’s imprisonment – violations that have been recognised as constituting torture – we call for the Parliamentary Assembly to set up an ad-hoc committee dedicated to Öcalan’s case.
2/ Over the quarter century of Öcalan’s incarceration, the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) has made many recommendations for ending his illegal conditions of imprisonment. We are asking the CPT to use all Council mechanisms to highlight unaddressed recommendations and ensure that they are implemented.
3/ Following on from this, we call on the Legal Affairs Committee to oversee implementation of the CPT’s recommendations.
4/ Although Turkey no longer has the death penalty, life sentences without parole and isolation from the outside world constitute a living death. These practices are contrary to international law, and we call on the Secretary General, the Committee of Ministers, and the President of the Assembly to intervene and prevent this living death penalty that is being implemented by a Council of Europe member.
5/ Lastly, we reiterate our fundamental demand: that Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan be allowed to meet with his lawyers and family and, ultimately, that he be freed under conditions that allow him to play a role in finding a just and democratic political solution to Turkey’s decades-old Kurdish conflict.