UN campaigns against the international conspiracy over two decades

ANHA's agency sheds light in this file on the events and activities that took place in various countries around the world, especially in Europe, against the international conspiracy that led to the arrest of leader Abdullah Ocalan in 1999. 

The first initiative

After the international conspiracy, the first major attempt took place in March 1999, when many writers and intellectuals, including Nobel laureates, parliamentarians, lawyers, and civil organizations from various countries, established the initiative "Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan, Peace for Kurdistan." The initiative brought Abdullah Ocalan's ideas to the international arena and created local initiatives in various fields. In this context, Abdullah Ocalan's books were translated into foreign languages, efforts were made to oppose the death penalty, and meetings, seminars, and conferences were held around the world to reveal the truth behind the conspiracy. The initiative, which also launched signature campaigns, continues to operate.

On December 10, 2001, political prisoners in the prisons of Turkey and Northern Kurdistan launched a "Campaign for Independence and Protection of Leadership." As part of the campaign, a hunger strike began in the prisons. The campaign quickly spread to Turkey and Europe and continued until February 15, 2003.

Campaigns against the conditions in Imralı

On March 1, 2007, the lawyers of leader Abdullah Ocalan issued a statement in Rome, announcing that their client had been systematically poisoned. Following the announcement, a campaign was launched in four parts of Kurdistan and Europe under the slogan "Ocalan's health is our health."

On April 11, 2007, 18 activists began an indefinite hunger strike in Strasbourg, France. Leader Abdullah Ocalan sent a message to the activists, "Live and fight like this," and based on this message, the procedure was concluded on the thirty-ninth day.

In 2007, the then Member of the European Parliament, Feleknas Uca, along with 7 deputies, launched a petition campaign to establish an independent health committee in Imrali. Within a week, 103,417 signatures were collected and submitted to the Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Committee Against Torture on May 11, 2007. The campaign continued the hunger strike in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan after these activities.

On May 1, 2007, the "Enough" campaign was launched in Kurdistan and beyond, and it had a significant impact.

On December 15, 2007, with the aim of improving the health conditions of leader Abdullah Ocalan, a letter-sending campaign began in Diyarbakır with the dispatch of 900 letters. Hundreds of people from various cities and regions in Northern Kurdistan and Turkey sent letters to the European Parliament's Human Rights Committee, the European Council's Human Rights Committee (EC), and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture. (CPT).

 On May 23, 2009, the campaign "If saying Mr. Abdullah Ocalan is a crime, then I also commit this crime and object" was launched against "punishment" and investigations were opened into those who used the term "Mr. Abdullah Ocalan." Within 48 days, 36,000 people submitted applications.

10 million, 328 thousand, and 623 signatures

 On September 6, 2012, the "Freedom for Ocalan" initiative launched the "Freedom for Ocalan and All Political Prisoners" campaign in the Belgian capital, Brussels. The campaign, which took place in Europe, Turkey, and Kurdistan, lasted for 3 years and collected 10,328,623 signatures. The signatures were submitted to the Council of Europe on February 13, 2015, making it one of the international campaigns with the highest number of signatures.

Activity of British trade union workers

In April 2016, the largest trade unions in the United Kingdom, Unite The Union and GMB, launched the "Freedom for Ocalan" campaign. At least 15 unions joined the strike.

Continuous activity

On June 25, 2012, in Strasbourg, France, in the area where the European Council (EC), the European Parliament (EP), the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), and the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) are located, a protest titled "Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan" was organized, which continues to this day in its 642nd week, against the system of extermination and torture practiced in Imrali.

Initiatives in the Middle East

In the Middle East, the Arab Initiative for the Freedom of Leader Abdullah Ocalan was established by a group of Egyptian intellectuals on the 22nd anniversary of the February 15 conspiracy against Leader Abdullah Ocalan.

On June 4, 2022, activists from the Middle East and North Africa established the Ocalan Freedom Initiative (NUN) in a press conference in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

The Free Women's Movement of Kurdistan (RJAK) launched a campaign from April 11 to 25, 2023, under the slogan "Leader Ocalan is Full of Hope," and as a result of this campaign, women sent hundreds of letters to the United Nations.

Activities in 105 cities around the world

In its turn, the Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan Platform launched the "Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan, Solution for the Kurdish Issue" campaign in 74 centers around the world on October 10, 2023. The initiative has since spread to 105 centers worldwide and continues its various activities in four parts of Kurdistan.

Political prisoners in the prisons of Northern Kurdistan and Turkey began a hunger strike on November 27, 2023, as part of the initiative "Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan, the solution to the Kurdish issue."

In November 2023, the "Justice Stand" events were launched in the cities of Northern Kurdistan and Turkey for the physical freedom of leader Abdullah Ocalan, and to support the ongoing hunger strikes in prisons.

The Arab Legal Initiative for the Freedom of Leader Abdullah Ocalan

A group of lawyers from several Arab countries (Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan) and other nations confirmed that they are closely monitoring the situation of leader Ocalan and have significant doubts about his health and legal status.

The group (Arab Legal Initiative for the Freedom of Abdullah Ocalan) indicated in a statement that after prolonged discussions, they concluded that they must defend leader Ocalan and work towards his physical freedom in the end.

On September 20, 2024, representatives of 8 Amazigh organizations, forces, and parties announced the establishment of the Amazigh Initiative for the Freedom of Leader Abdullah Ocalan. The Amazigh Initiative will work on cultural, media, legal, and artistic levels to educate the Amazigh people about the leader's philosophy and the Kurdish cause.

T/Satt.

ANHA