Goal of freedom campaign in its 3rd year

The global "Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan, the Solution to the Kurdish Issue" campaign, launched by friends of the Kurds on October 10, 2023, has entered its third year.

On the occasion of the campaign’s anniversary, we conducted an interview with the campaign spokesperson, Sinan Önal, about the events organized, their impact, and their future plans.

The interview went as follows:

Q: At what level does the campaign currently stand?

This campaign has exposed the isolation and policies imposed on the leader of the peoples, Abdullah Ocalan, in İmralı prison. It has demonstrated to the entire world that the freedom of the leader is not only for the Kurdish people but also for the democratization of the Middle East. It has created awareness of this and is currently focused on achieving the physical freedom of Abdullah Ocalan and preparing suitable conditions to undertake negotiations within the current process in Turkey.

Q: What impact has the campaign had?

First and foremost, the campaign has created global awareness. It has shown everyone that while the world witnesses massacres and genocides, and rising chauvinism, there is a leader in the Middle East who seeks peace, democracy, and coexistence among people. However, the Turkish state has been imprisoning him in isolation for over 26 years and wants to keep him hidden from the peoples. Every time people read Abdullah Ocalan’s books, they realize what a great leader and philosopher of freedom he is. The involvement of Nobel Prize laureates has also had a significant impact, exposing the inhumane practices of the Turkish state.

Q: Has the campaign achieved its goal or not?

The goal of this campaign is the freedom of the leader of the peoples, Abdullah Öcalan. It has not yet achieved this goal but has created global awareness to realize it. It has become part of the agenda of millions of people, international human rights organizations, and United Nations institutions, as well as the agenda of institutions overseeing the implementation of international agreements and treaties, which Turkey has also signed. Turkey has been subjected to considerable pressure on this matter and has been exposed.

Q: What are your future plans to achieve the campaign’s goal?

In the campaign’s second year, the policy of dialogue to solve the Kurdish issue was placed on Turkey’s agenda. On February 27, Mr. Ocalan launched the peace and democratic society appeal, which indicates that Abdullah Ocalan is taking practical steps toward democracy, not just advocating for it in his books. This appeal has stirred enthusiasm among campaign members.

With this enthusiasm, upcoming phases will include conferences with friends of the Kurds and meetings with relevant institutions and countries to pressure Turkey for Abdullah Ocalan’s freedom. They also aim to introduce Abdullah Ocalan at the state and social institutional levels as the leader of freedom and democracy, organize various programs and activities on these topics, and mobilize all freedom forces.

ANHA