Activities, campaigns against conspiracy; isolation against leader Abdullah Ocalan

The struggle against the international conspiracy that began against Leader Abdullah Ocalan on October 9, 1998 and his handover to the Turkish occupation state on February 15, 1999, has continued unabated for 25 years.

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the international February 15 conspiracy, we present to you here the most prominent activities and campaigns that Kurdistan and the world witnessed against this conspiracy.

Great Event

The first and largest of these activities against the international conspiracy are represented by the “You Cannot Block Our Sun” protests, which began with the struggling political prisoner Muhammad Khaled Oral setting fire to his body in Maraş Prison on the night of October 9, 1998. The event then spread to all parts of the world, burning more of the 100 people themselves within its framework, the last of them is the patriot Bobo Taş, who set fire to his body in Merdin on January 12, 2023, and the young man Muhammad Akar, who set fire to his body in the Sur district of Amed on January 16, 2023, and they rose to the rank of martyrdom.

The first initiative

The first major attempt took place on the international scene after the launch of the international conspiracy against the leader Abdullah Ocalan in March 1999, when a number of writers and intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winners, parliamentarians, lawyers and civil society organizations from different countries, founded the “Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan, Peace for Kurdistan” initiative. Which undertook to introduce Leader Ocalan’s ideas on the international scene and established many local initiatives. In this context, the leader’s books were translated into many foreign languages, work was done to combat the death penalty, and many meetings, seminars and conferences were held around the world to uncover the truth of the conspiracy, the initiative, which also launched campaigns to collect signatures, continues its work until now.

On December 10, 2001, political detainees in Turkish prisons in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan began the “Loyalty to the Leader and Defend Him” campaign. In the context of this campaign, the detainees began a hunger strike, and the campaign spread in Turkey and Europe within a short period and continued until the February 15, 2003.

Signature collection campaigns in Kurdistan

Between February 1 and May 1, 2004, the Independent Youth Movement (BAGEH) submitted to the Turkish Parliament, within the framework of the “Freedom for the Leader” campaign, a set of requests under the title “Our Will Has Been Detained.” 94,941 requests were collected from 12 cities and districts in Northern Kurdistan and delivered to the Turkish Parliament.

Between July 2005 and May 2006, the Free Citizens Movement in Northern Kurdistan launched the “Ocalan represents our political will” campaign in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan, collecting two million two hundred thousand signatures and sending them to European institutions.

Activities against the situation in Imrali

On March 1, 2007, Leader Ocalan’s lawyers made a statement in Rome and announced that their client had been subjected to systematic poisoning. After this statement, a campaign was launched throughout Kurdistan and Europe under the slogan “Ocalan’s health is our health.”

On April 11, 2007, 18 activists in the French city of Strasbourg began a hunger strike that ended on its 39th day with a message sent by the leader to the strikers, saying: “Get up and you are alive.”

In 2007, Falak Naz Oca, a member of the European Parliament at the time, and 7 other representatives, launched a campaign to collect signatures to demand that an independent medical team be sent to Imrali. Within a week, 103,417 signatures were collected and delivered to the Secretary of the Executive Board of the European Committee against Torture (CPT). On May 11, 2007, the campaign continued in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan with hunger strikes, and this campaign resulted in a delegation from the European Committee against Torture visiting Imrali.

On May 1, 2007, after the statement of Leader Ocalan’s lawyer, the “No More” campaign was launched in Kurdistan and beyond, and it had a great impact.

On December 15, 2007, with the aim of creating health conditions for Leader Ocalan, a campaign to send letters was launched in Amed, and began sending 900 letters. During the campaign, hundreds of people from the cities and districts of Northern Kurdistan and Turkey sent their letters to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, a human rights organization. EU Human Rights Watch (KE) and the European Committee against Torture (CPT).

36 thousand people file a complaint

On May 23, 2009, the campaign “If Mr. Abdullah Ocalan’s statement is a crime, then I am also committing this crime and submitting my complaint” was launched against the lawsuits and investigations that were opened against those who used the title “Mr. Abdullah Ocalan,” and within 48 days, 36 thousand people submitted their request. Then the decision to consider calling “Mr. Ocalan” a crime was cancelled.

10 million 328 thousand 623 signatures

On September 6, 2012, the “Freedom for Ocalan” initiative launched in the Belgian capital, Brussels, the “Freedom for Ocalan and all political detainees” campaign. The campaign continued in Europe, Turkey and Kurdistan for 3 years, and resulted in the collection of 10 million and 328 thousand and 623 signatures, and was delivered to the Europe Council of Ministers on February 13, 2015. The campaign is considered one of the largest global campaigns and the one that collects the most signatures.

Death fast

On September 12, 2012, the struggling political prisoners in Turkish prisons began a hunger strike to demand the creation of health and security conditions for Leader Ocalan and the achievement of his physical freedom. The event, which later turned into a death fast, concluded on its 68th day with a message from Leader Ocalan.

The activity of British unions

In April 2016, two of the largest British unions (Unite The Union, GMB) launched the “Freedom for Ocalan” campaign, in which at least 15 unions participated.

Long-term activity

On June 25, 2012, in the French city of Strasbourg, where the headquarters of the European Council, the European Parliament, the European Court of Human Rights and the European Committee against Torture are located, a sit-in entitled “Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan” began, which continues to this day.

Being able to meet the leader on the eighth day of the strike

Following the clashes and conflicts between the Fathallah organization and the Justice and Development Party AKP in Turkey on July 15, 2016, news spread regarding the life of leader Abdullah Ocalan, and as a result, many cities and districts witnessed sit-ins under the slogan “Freedom for Ocalan.”

In September 2016, 50 volunteers, led by the Kurdish Democratic Congress, the Peoples’ Democratic Congress, the Democratic Party of Regions and the Peoples’ Democratic Party, began an unlimited and indefinite hunger strike. On the eighth day of the strike, the brother of the leader Abdullah Ocalan, Muhammad Ocalan, visited Imrali, to conclude the strike. The activity of the hunger strike after meeting with the leader.

Members of British local councils and the London City Council supported the cause of Leader Abdullah Ocalan, and on September 25, 2018, they launched a campaign under the slogan “Justice for Kurdistan.”

Death fasts and commando operations

On November 8, 2018, the co-chair of the Democratic Society Congress (KCD), Leyla Guven, began an indefinite hunger strike, and then began a hunger strike and death fast in prisons. As part of that, the struggling political prisoners set fires; Yunca Akçi, Zolkov Gezen, Ukur Çakkar, Ayten Beçet, Zahra Salim, Medea Canar, Siraj Yuksek and Masum Bamai were burned to death in prisons and rose to the rank of martyrdom. Following the hunger strike and death fast, the lawyers met with Leader Ocalan 5 times, and the strike activities food and death fast were concluded by the invitation of Leader Ocalan.

Collecting about 3 million signatures in North and East Syria

The Syrian Initiative for the Freedom of Leader Abdullah Ocalan was established on October 9, 2019, by a number of politicians, jurists, doctors, notables and notables, Kurds, Arabs, Syriacs and Armenians, and on February 14, 2021, the Syrian Lawyers Initiative was established to defend the leader Abdullah Ocalan, and one of the most prominent and important works of the two initiatives is sending 691 lawyers from North and East Syria and the rest of the Syrian regions on September 19, 2022, a petition to the Turkish Ministry of Justice to demand Imrali’s visit, and to collect the Syrian initiative for the freedom of leader Abdullah Ocalan in 2023, for two million and 646 thousand. And 211 signatures were sent to the European Committee against Torture and the United Nations. In the same year, 1,025 lawyers from North and East Syria and the rest of the Syrian regions signed a petition that they sent to Amnesty International, demanding that the isolation of the leader be lifted.

"It's time for freedom "

On September 10, 2020, the Kurdistan Communities Union launched, through a statement, the “Time for Freedom” campaign, and despite the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people around the world joined it, including artists, academics, politicians, intellectuals, and well-known figures, and many events were organized within its framework in four parts of Kurdistan.

On January 11, 2021, the South African Kurdish Action Group (KHRAG) and the Confederation of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) launched a campaign under the slogan “It is time to free Abdullah Ocalan for a democratic peace in Turkey.” Many institutions joined the campaign and sent... Messages to the United Nations.

On November 27, 2020, political detainees struggling in Turkish prisons in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan began an indefinite hunger strike, and more than two thousand detainees in 107 prisons joined the event to support the strike, it began in the Lavrio camp in Greece and Makhmur camp also held similar activities, and the hunger strike that political prisoners began on September 12, 2021 was concluded after it had continued for 290 days.

On February 15, 2021, more than a hundred artists, journalists and writers known around the world published a declaration entitled “Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan” and called for: “More than 20 years have passed, and Abdullah Ocalan must be released.”

Middle East Initiatives

The Arab Initiative for the Freedom of Leader Abdullah Ocalan was established, led by a group of Egyptian intellectuals, on the 22nd anniversary of the February 15 plot to demand the freedom of Leader Abdullah Ocalan.

On June 4, 2022, activists from the Middle East and North Africa announced, through a press conference held in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, the establishment of the Noon Initiative for Ocalan’s Freedom.

Between April 11 and 25, 2023, the Free Kurdistan Women's Organization (RJAK) launched a campaign under the slogan “Leader Ocalan is contemplating.” Within the framework of the campaign, women sent hundreds of letters to the United Nations.

The events reached 105 centers around the world

On October 10, 2023, the Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan Initiative, the solution to the Kurdish issue, launched a campaign entitled “Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan, the political solution to the Kurdish issue” in 74 centers around the world, and the campaign has so far reached 105 centers around the world, while it continues in parts of Kurdistan. The four activities are diverse.

Within the framework of the same campaign, on November 27 of last year, activist political detainees in Turkish prisons in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan began a hunger strike, which will continue until February 15, according to the strikers.

Also in November of last year, “justice sit-in” activities began in a number of cities in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan to demand the physical freedom of leader Abdullah Ocalan and support hunger strike activities in Turkish prisons, and the sit-in activities are still continuing.

Khatib Dijla: Events and activities will continue until victory is achieved

The spokesman for Abdullah Ocalan’s Freedom Platform, the solution to the Kurdish issue, the political activist Khatib Dijla, spoke to ANHA agency about the activities and actions that have taken place so far. He pointed to the launch of many campaigns since February 15, 1999 until now in order to thwart the international conspiracy and achieve the physical freedom of Leader Abdullah Ocalan. He stated that they resulted in many achievements and victories, but they did not achieve the physical freedom of Leader Ocalan yet, and he said: “Any It was not enough to thwart the international conspiracy, and diplomatic and political campaigns will continue until their goals are achieved and crowned with success and victory. Our people must adopt this campaign with their broad participation and be the basis of the campaign and its main force, and victory will inevitably be achieved.”

T/ Satt.

ANHA