The absolute isolation of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan continues. On 23 October Abdullah Öcalan, in a meeting with his nephew Ömer Öcalan, drew attention to the continuation of the isolation. On 3 December, an international delegation applied to the Ministry of Justice for a meeting with Abdullah Öcalan.  

 

Eduardo Jorge Costa Pinto, Member of the Portuguese Assembly of Republic, who is among the applicants, made evaluations on the importance of Abdullah Öcalan's physical freedom.

 

POLITICAL SOLUTION EMPHASISED  

 

Pinto stated that Abdullah Öcalan has many times offered to build a path to peace and that the opening of this path would be good for everyone in the Middle East and Turkey. "It is clear that we don't answer a political question with violence, aggression and unfair prison. And this is the case with Mr. Ocalan. It's well known the conditions under which he is in prison. That's why we participated in this important initiative to say two things; first, it is unfair, and all the neutral and partial courts at European level say the conditions of his detention are illegal. So this needs to be solved. Two, the need to give a political answer to the political problem that we have in hands. And in this sense, I am convinced that the release of Mr. Ocalan would contribute to have a political solution to this problem."

 

NELSON MANDELA

 

Stating that many organizations called "terrorist" throughout history have made important contributions to democracy, Pinto said that Nelson Mandela's situation and Abdullah Öcalan's situation have been compared. Stating that Mandela was arrested on charges of "terrorism" and that the political problems in the country were not solved during his imprisonment, "With his release, with the fact that he embraced the political game in South Africa was essential to end apartheid and to build a new country. I think with Mr. Öcalan and Turkey and the Kurdish people, the question is similar. I believe that the release of Mr. Ocalan is a critical and essential step to advance to a new way of understanding so a new reality inside Turkey, which will obviously impact outside the borders of Turkey, namely in Syria, as we have seen right now" he said. 

 

THE REASON FOR THE SILENCE

 

Pinto stated that the latest report of the United Nations (UN) Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) on İmralı Island Prison and the situation of Hamili Yıldırım, Veysi Aktaş and Ömer Hayri Konar, who are held with Abdullah Öcalan, was not published due to Turkey's refusal to authorise it. Stating that the fact that the isolation is unjust and illegal is obvious in the CPT's previous reports, Pinto said the following about the reason for the silence of international countries and the European Union (EU) despite the judgements of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR): "Turkey is a partner country in NATO, is a country applying to become member of the EU. Maybe that's why some states, or the vast majority of states, don't want to directly confront Turkey, which is a bit the dark side of the so called real politics. This is problematic because the more you stay silent on these essential democratic human rights questions, be it with Mr. Ocalan or not, be it with Turkey or not, so the more the democracies remain silent about this, the more autocratic regimes will become more autocratic. Democracy, human rights must be respected wherever we are in the world, wherever or whoever is the person attacking and limiting these rights. I think in the case of Turkey and Mr. Ocalan, this, unfortunately has not been the case so far."

 

'THE RISE OF SMALL IMPERIALISMS IN SYRIA'

 

Pinto said that the period after the Second World War was characterised by a world divided into major powers, with the Soviet Union and the United States, and with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States became the sole power. Pinto added: "In theory, this is good. The division of power should be something good, not having a single worldwide empire, but multiple local, democratic powers. But actually what is happening is sort of going back to the 19th century; with multiple smaller empires trying to have more power. And this is happening right now in Syria. We see Israel occupying Syrian territory, and at the same time, we see Turkey occupying de-facto, at least parts of Syria. So this is a sort of ascension of multi-polarity and new small imperialisms."

 

'ENDING THE ISOLATION OF ÖCALAN IS GOOD FOR ALL OF US'

 

Stressed that because of these imperialist upswings, the developments in Turkey and the international campaign for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan should be given importance Pinto continued as follows: "Because I think that it will be an example, and it will set the pace, not only for Turkey, but for similar questions worldwide. That's why I honestly believe that ending the isolation of Mr. Ocalan, bringing him to the table of negotiations and creating a new country that serves the purposes of everyone, and no one is discriminated and left behind, is good, not only for Turkey, but it is good for all of us in Europe and all of us in the world. It is a matter of democracy, a matter of human rights, and it is certainly a matter of peace. Peace should always be what moves us and what makes us want to act politically."

 

MA / Hîvda Çelebi