Campaign to collect signatures kicks off on 25th anniversary of Conspiracy

Today, the Popular Initiative for the Freedom of Leader Abdullah Ocalan made a statement at the March 12 Martyrs Stadium in the city of Qamishlo, in which it announced the start of a campaign to collect signatures to demand the freedom of Leader Abdullah Ocalan, in the presence of dozens of city residents, members of civil institutions, women’s and human rights organizations, and Arab and Kurdish tribal notables.

The statement was read in Arabic and Kurdish by members of the initiative, Suleiman Ahmed and Noha Omar. The statement read,

"As a result of the pressure exerted by the Turkish state with the support of the great powers, and at the invitation of the Parliament of European countries, Leader Abdullah Ocalan left the Middle East region, on (10/9/1998), and headed to the European arena, believing in the principles included in Western civilization, of peace. Equality, democracy, and the protection of human rights, and in the hope of finding a peaceful political solution to the Kurdish issue, preserving the brotherhood of peoples, and consolidating peace in the Middle East. However, the governments of those countries failed him when he was kidnapped and handed over to the Turkish authorities at Nairobi Airport / Kenya.

The Turkish state began committing inhumane violations against him, it established Imrali prison as a prison containing one cell and one prisoner, where leader Abdullah Ocalan remained in solitary confinement, starting from (February 15, 1999) until November 2009.

Despite the demands of the Council of the European Union, the Committee against Torture (CPT), the Council of Ministers, all human rights bodies and organizations, the Geneva Declaration and the Nelson Mandela Principles, not to commit violations in the case of leader, the Turkish state continued its inhumane violations against him.

In addition to the exceptionally harsh conditions of Imrali Prison, the Turkish authorities have violated the resolutions of the United Nations and human rights organizations, which prohibit any country from depriving any of its prisoners of meeting with his clients and relatives, within a maximum period of fourteen days.

 However, the Turkish state has applied to Leader Ocalan a policy of absolute isolation from the outside world, prevented him from meeting with his family and his lawyer, as his last meeting with his lawyer was on (August 7, 2019), and his last direct meeting with his brother was on (March 3, 2020), and the last phone call with him did not exceed five minutes, was on (March 25, 2021). Turkey did not respond to the request of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Leader Abdullah Ocalan No. (2) dated ( On March 8, 2014, it took the necessary measures to improve the conditions of his detention, in light of the absolute isolation in Imrali Prison. It also did not respond to the request of the United Nations Human Rights Committee on September 6, 2022, which requested immediate and unrestricted access to a lawyer.

It did not issue any statement regarding the report prepared by the European Committee against Torture (CPT), after its visit to Imrali prison on (September 22, 2022), and it did not respond, either, to the European Commission’s decision issued on (August 5, 2020) to prevent torture of Leader Abdullah Ocalan.

On the contrary, the Turkish state relied on force, violence, and policies of erasure and annihilation, after transforming isolation into absolute isolation in the year (2015), and resorted to the policies and practices of absolute solitary confinement, which was implemented in (2021), and increased its severity in the years (2022 and 2023) with the aim of depriving leader Ocalan of the right to hope, which was approved by international laws and regulations.

  We announce the start of a signature campaign, with the aim of ending isolation and achieving leader freedom. We appeal to all international organizations and humanitarian bodies, in the context of our appeal to your esteemed Council to activate this role of yours in the case of Leader Ocalan to end isolation and achieve his physical freedom.”

a.k

ANHA