European Forum urges direct access to leader Ocalan

Nişe Özgen, the founder of the EFFP and a professor and doctor of sociology and anthropology, responded to our questions regarding the campaign "I Want to Meet Abdullah Ocalan." The following is a summary of the discussion:

As a founding member of the EFFP, can you tell us about the forum’s objectives and activities?

The European Forum for Freedom and Peace, established in 2018, is a comprehensive platform operating across various European cities and countries. It aims to develop a new political approach, uniting approximately 300 foundations, associations, initiatives, organizations, and individuals, including politicians from diaspora communities, intellectuals, academics, students, activists, journalists, and others, particularly exiles and migrants. The forum seeks to foster a multifaceted political approach, moving beyond stereotypical ideas, to promote policies of democracy, freedom, and peace from local to international levels, extending from Turkey and Kurdistan to all of Europe. It serves as a platform to advance new diaspora politics through democratic, political, ecological, and women’s liberation theories, focusing not only on ethnic issues but also on their interconnections. Since 2018, the forum has organized conferences and meetings in various cities to unite diverse structures, build a shared language of struggle, and create a new revolutionary discourse. The "I Want to Meet Abdullah Ocalan" (#VisitOcalan) campaign is one of its key activities.

When did preparations for the campaign begin, and what has been achieved?

Since the start of negotiations, we have discussed this new phase and shared ideas with various groups and our internal structures through diverse meetings addressing the requirements for democracy and peace. We have held numerous conferences and meetings, publishing their outcomes. Topics discussed range from experiences of state and movement disarmament to peace processes, struggles for democracy, and international solidarity. We face a significant structural shift and a qualitative leap, engaging in debates, critiques, and discussions, which is natural as we strive to develop a new model. For this platform, conducting honest, accurate, and progressive discussions is crucial to creating a new language and building a new policy for peace and freedom, starting within our own discourse and ideas.

A key question raised in these meetings was, "How can we access accurate information without meeting Ocalan in this process?" One of the most effective ways to break the oppressive atmosphere manipulated by the government, which distorts public perception, is to allow those who support peace and dialogue to speak freely. Leader Ocalan, the founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and a proponent of peace, must be heard directly. This is not only about the leader freedom of expression and will but also about our democratic right as advocates for peace and freedom. We said, "Since they neither release him nor allow him to express his views personally, let us visit him and speak with him." However, the government engages in negotiations through numerous negotiators, intelligence agencies, and others, manipulating public opinion with false information. Why are we denied direct access to information? I say this clearly: if Erdoğan is a party to this conflict, the other party’s voice must also be heard publicly. We are not mere observers of this process; rather, we are active stakeholders.

How has the campaign been received? Who has joined it, and how do you assess participation?

The campaign has become a voice for a broad base and is not merely a short-lived hashtag campaign. Instead, it is a long-term initiative that will continue in various forms. Our primary goal is to raise awareness about freedom of expression and protect the right of everyone to hear and discuss statements from all parties involved. Anyone who wishes to meet leader Ocalan should have that right. We will continue to explain and discuss the campaign’s objectives with our constituencies and the broader European political community, gathering support and meeting requests from diverse groups throughout the summer. While requests are submitted directly to the Ministry of Justice, establishing a comprehensive and coherent political framework is essential.

In our view, anyone affected by this conflict—whether a university student saying, "My relative was killed in this war; you have no right to do this," a graduate student saying, "I’m writing my thesis on peace," or a vendor saying, "I want to meet him to understand this issue"—should have the opportunity to meet leader Abdullah Ocalan. This applies to everyone, from homemakers to lawyers, workers, unemployed individuals, government employees, academics, parliamentarians, or Europeans advocating for peace policies.

The campaign, conducted in seven languages, has recently started but has already garnered significant participation and interest. Supporters include multinational European organizations such as the European Left, the Left Group in the European Parliament, the Italian Cultural Creativity Association (Arci, founded in 1996 by anti-mafia activists, with over one million members), the Confederation of Autonomous Trade Unions (COBAS, a coalition of Italy’s three strongest trade unions since the 1980s), and the Alternative Greens Alliance (BastA, a leftist environmental party active since 1995 with 18 members in the Swedish Parliament). Independent groups and individuals across Europe have also begun signing related petitions.

 We continue the campaign with enthusiasm, and it can be followed on our website: https://eu.forumforpeace/visitocalan.

Supporting organizations include:

European Left Party

Left Group in the European Parliament

Italian Cultural Creativity Association (Arci)

Catholic Bishops’ Conference and Evangelical Alliance from South Africa

COBAS (People’s Labor Union)

BastA (Alternative Greens, Switzerland)

OSTA (Pedro Lopera, Secretary)

TAESA

NAV-BEL

European Transformation

International Peace Research Association (IPRA, USA)

Mathare Social Justice Centre (Kenya/Nairobi)

People’s Land Rights Movement in Zimbabwe

Independent supporting figures:

Ken Loach

Livia Mattmüller

Professor Dr. Anuradha Chenoy

Hilary Zhou

Gerry Adams

What are your future projects and activities for the upcoming phase, and what is your call to action?

Our primary goal is to strengthen the campaign through various local and international meetings, with your support and cooperation. We will continue our conferences and discussions on democracy and call on everyone to demand meetings with leader Abdullah Ocalan and submit requests to that effect.

a.k

ANHA