Historic call, right to hope included in UN agenda

The Movement Against Racism and for Friendship Among Peoples (MRAP) has included the "Peace and Democratic Society" call launched by Leader Abdullah Ocalan on February 27, along with the outcomes of the 12th Congress of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), on the agenda of the United Nations Human Rights Council. This was done through a report submitted to the Council, which is holding its 59th session at the United Nations Office in Geneva between June 16 and July 9, 2025, according to Firat News Agency (ANF).

The movement called on the United Nations to support this initiative, stating that "the struggle for the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Kurdish people has entered a new phase after Leader Abdullah Ocalan’s call for disarmament and the PKK’s decision to dissolve itself." The report also shed light on ongoing violations inside Turkish prisons, most notably the isolation imposed on Leader Ocalan in Imrali Prison.

The report noted that the UN Committee Against Torture (CAT) documented in its concluding observations of July 2024 a clear decline in judicial independence in Turkey, affirming that the isolation system imposed in Imrali exceeds international legal standards and has reshaped the entire Turkish prison system through unlawful practices.

The report added that Leader Ocalan’s legal meetings were extremely limited: between 2011 and 2019, he was only allowed to meet his lawyers five times, while his legal team continues to file weekly requests without receiving any response. It also clarified that the meeting held on February 27, 2025, between Leader Ocalan and his lawyers did not mark the lifting of the ban but was an exceptional meeting within a special delegation.

Violation of the Right to Hope

The report stressed that depriving Leader Abdullah Ocalan of conditional release constitutes a violation of what is known as the “right to hope,” referring to the European Court of Human Rights' ruling on March 18, 2014, which stated that life imprisonment without the possibility of review or release constitutes torture. The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe brought this issue back onto its agenda during its September 2024 meeting, calling for a new evaluation mechanism for all prisoners sentenced to life without the possibility of release.

The report stated that Turkish authorities admitted to the UN Committee Against Torture in July 2024 that 1.24% of prison inmates, approximately 4,348 individuals, are serving aggravated life sentences without conditional release, despite more than 11 years having passed since the European Court’s ruling on Leader Abdullah Ocalan’s case.

The Peace and Democratic Society Call

The report emphasized that the isolation imposed on Leader Abdullah Ocalan reflects the Turkish state’s stance toward the Kurdish people, aiming to isolate him due to his political and social influence, at a time when he has demonstrated a clear commitment to a peaceful resolution of the Kurdish issue.

On February 27, 2025, Leader Abdullah Ocalan issued the “Peace and Democratic Society” Call through the Imrali delegation, calling for the political and legal conditions necessary to dissolve the PKK and lay down arms, in exchange for recognition of Kurdish identity and guarantees of physical freedom. In response to this appeal, the PKK announced a ceasefire on March 1, 2025, and subsequently decided to dissolve itself.

Findings and Recommendations

The report concluded that the isolation system imposed on Leader Abdullah Ocalan and other prisoners constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and is one of the main obstacles to achieving a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue.

In its final section, MRAP called on the Turkish government to implement the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights and the recommendations of the Committee Against Torture and the UN Human Rights Committee issued in 2024. It also urged the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to update its 2017 report on Turkey and assess the current situation, focusing on violations against the opposition and minorities, particularly the Kurdish people, in support of the path toward peace and democracy in the country.

A-H 

ANHA