Qamishlo women call for lifting leader Ocalan's isolation

Despite ongoing discussion of a peace process and democratic society in North Kurdistan and Turkey, Turkey continues to impose strict isolation on leader Abdullah Ocalan. The last reported meeting with him took place on May 24. Women in Qamishlo said that the continued isolation and the lack of any information about him since that meeting raise concerns and contradict any serious efforts toward achieving peace.

In this context, Hevin Brim Hassan said: "Leader Abdullah Ocalan has made many sacrifices for the sake of peace. He always calls for peace for everyone."

She added: "We ask why lawyers are not allowed to visit him. We have had no information about him for some time, so we will remain in the streets until we see him free."

She continued: "From the age of seven to seventy, we have made a commitment to our leader. Therefore, we urgently demand news about him so our hearts can be at ease. As mothers and families of martyrs, we demand to see him."

For her part, Khalisa Younes, a member of the Armenian community in Qamishlo, said: "I have lived among the Kurds, and I am proud of that. Today we gather for our leader. People from all our different communities stand together in one place because of his ideas. He has spent 28 years behind prison walls."

She added: "For several months, lawyers have not been allowed to visit him. Where are human rights? Where is humanity? We do not want bloodshed or violence. We want our leader to live among us as a free man so that we can obtain our rights."

She asked: "Why does the Turkish state act this way? Why does it impose strict isolation while a peace process is under way?"

Meanwhile, Leila Murad said that women's struggle is closely linked to Abdullah Ocalan's ideas, stating: "We women owe much to our leader because he gave women their rights and supports them. As long as he remains in prison, we will continue demonstrating and intensify our struggle."

She concluded: "Our leader was the one who announced the peace process and was the first to call for peace. For his sake, we also demand democracy, peace, justice, and equality. We demand our rights and our leader's right to be released from prison, to have the isolation lifted, and to be free."

ANHA