KHRAG Head: Everyone should pressure Turkey for Ocalan's freedom

Various endeavors and activities against the strict isolation imposed by the Turkish occupation authorities on the leader Abdullah Ocalan continue, whether in Kurdistan or around the world, and in South Africa, the Kurdish Working Group for Human Rights in South Africa and Trade Unions Confederation in South Africa launched a campaign under the slogan "For Ocalan's Freedom, Peace and Equality in Turkey."

The Head of the Kurdish Working Group for Human Rights in South Africa, Mahmoud Patel, spoke to our agency about the details of the campaign and its goals.

Mahmoud Patel noted that they will work to pressure Turkey through the mechanisms of the United Nations and member states, as Turkey is one of the founding members of the United Nations, as well as achieving peace and justice in Turkey and the region in addition to the release of the leader Abdullah Ocalan.

Direct pressure on Turkey

Regarding the purpose of the campaign, Patel said that the main goal is to release the leader Abdullah Ocalan, and continued: "This campaign was launched jointly with the Kurdish Working Group for Human Rights in South Africa (KHRAG) and the Trade Unions Confederation in South Africa to address the Secretary-General of the United Nations, to ensure that the issue of Mr. Abdullah Ocalan's release is placed on the agenda of the United Nations, and we will work through the United Nations and its mechanisms, member states to exert direct pressure on Turkey in order to achieve peace and justice in Turkey and the region, and to release the leader Abdullah Ocalan.

It is of great importance to mobilize international solidarity for the sake of the release of Mr. Abdullah Ocalan, as we are now moving to a phase of Turkish aggression and imperialism that is clearly hostile to the Kurdish people, and it proves its aggressive policy in the entire region as well as in Africa."

The struggle for Ocalan's release is our moral responsibility

After the arrest of the leader Abdullah Ocalan, the Welcome Committee was transferred to the Kurdish Working Group for Human Rights (KHRAG) to monitor human rights violations against the Kurdish people in Turkey, and the conditions of Mr. Abdullah Ocalan's imprisonment.

Patel says: "We in South Africa are committed politically and morally to secure the release of Mr. Ocalan, as is the case with Mr. Mandela, and to guarantee for his people human dignity, basic freedoms and basic human rights in a democratic society. There are many similarities between the Kurdish people's struggle for self-determination, and the struggle of the persecuted people in South Africa in their struggle for the right to self-determination."

Similarities between goals and resistance of the two peoples

The Kurdish and African peoples were deprived in their homeland of basic rights, freedoms and human rights, as he said: "Both peoples were deprived of basic freedoms and basic human rights in their countries, resisted against human rights violations through peaceful means, and the regimes deprived them of legitimate organizations and their legitimate leaders."

The South African persecuted people through ANC and PAC and the Kurdish people through PKK embarked on the armed struggle for liberation; CIA betrayed Nelson Mandela in his armed struggle, while Mr. Abdullah Ocalan was betrayed by the American, British and Israeli intelligence.

Ocalan's situation is worse than Mandela's

Mandela and Ocalan were charged with treason and sentenced to life imprisonment, and both were imprisoned on islands, Mandela in Rubin and Ocalan in Imrali, the two began talks from prison with the regimes in the country in order to resolve the conflict by peaceful and political means. Mandela was released after 27 years to lead his people to freedom and democracy, but in Ocalan's issue, after two decades he is still in prison, and his condition is worse than Mandela's."

Lack of pressure by UN and EU encourages Turkey to continue violations

On the system of strict isolation implemented by the Turkish authorities in Imrali, Patel said: "This is a response to the state that does not weigh human rights, democracy and does not respect international law. Although it is one of the founding members of the United Nations, but it itself violates international resolutions, charters of the United Nations, and there is another blatant non-consideration of the Turkish state which is its attempt to enter the European Union, but it does not accept the reports of the European Committee against Torture about human rights violations in Imrali prison, nor the reports of the European Court of Human Rights on human rights violations against Mr. Ocalan, other political prisoners on Imrali Island, and other political prisoners in Turkey."

 The lack of pressure on Turkey by the United Nations, the European Union and its member states, the United States, the United Kingdom and NATO as well encourages Turkey to continue human rights violations against its Kurdish citizens as political prisoners and as a Kurdish people in the region."

All forms of activity must continue

Patel called for the continuation of all forms of activities and events in order to hold Turkey accountable for the crimes of genocide and crimes against humanity, including the campaign "Freedom for Ocalan," and pressure must be put on regional and international organizations. He continued: "International solidarity is very important in this struggle. In South Africa, we managed to guarantee our political rights through international solidarity, the campaign of "Release Mandela," lobby activities with regional and international governments and organizations, hunger strikes campaigns, and various economic boycotts in the field of (economy, sports and culture).

We call on the Secretary-General of the United Nations to fulfill his responsibilities as Secretary-General, and to take direct action for the sake of the release of Mr. Abdullah Ocalan."

D.H

ANHA