Argentina Human Rights League calls for Ocalan’s freedom

The Human Rights League of Argentina has sent a letter to the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), of which it is a member, urging it to uphold the demand for Abdullah Ocalan’s physical freedom and assume a guarantor role in the peace process.

The letter included:

“Dear friends,

We are writing to you regarding Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been imprisoned by the Turkish state for 27 years. He has spent most of this time in solitary confinement. He is serving an aggravated life sentence with no possibility of release and, at the age of 77, is denied even the ‘right to hope.’

We know that the Federation has repeatedly placed this issue on its agenda, recognized Abdullah Ocalan as a political prisoner, and called for his freedom. However, we believe that amid changing political circumstances and emerging prospects for peace, which could create meaningful opportunities for the Kurdish people and other peoples of the region, as well as open the way for the release of Abdullah Ocalan and thousands of political prisoners held in Turkish prisons, this demand has become more important and urgent than ever. Reports give us grounds for optimism.

Therefore, we are firmly convinced that continued solidarity and persistence in demanding freedom are essential at this time. Given its respected standing, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) can make a significant contribution to achieving a just peace in the region and could ultimately play a role as a guarantor in the negotiations.

Throughout its history, the Human Rights League of Argentina has demonstrated its commitment to political prisoners and peoples’ rights, with many of its members having sacrificed their lives in the struggle for human rights. It has played an active role in numerous causes, including opposition to the Spanish dictatorship, the Vietnam War, the Cuban Revolution, trials related to Argentina’s dictatorship, the genocide in Palestine, and the independence struggle in Western Sahara. The League has also long supported the Kurdish people.

On behalf of the League, Nora Boudesta, Nector Trajtemberg and Alejandro Avots send their greetings to the Kurdish people and reaffirm their commitment to Abdullah Ocalan’s freedom and a resolution of the Kurdish issue.”