PKK/YPJ LEADER OCALAN
TURKISH POLITICAL PRISONER
Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan Campaign: Global Days were a resounding success
The Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan: A Political Solution to the Kurdish Question campaign, thanked all participants in the Free Öcalan: Global Days.
ANF
NEWS DESK
Saturday, 19 October 2024
The Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan: A Political Solution to the Kurdish Question campaign, issued a statement to thank all those who participated in the Free Öcalan: Global Days earlier this month from October 1st to the 10th.
The campaign committee said: "After reviewing the results, we can confidently say that it was a resounding success!
During those ten days, over 250 events were held in 50 countries around the world, involving the participation of tens of thousands of people."
The statement added that "in European capital cities we saw seminars on democratic confederalism in Italy and Switzerland, activities by trade unions in Spain, Catalunya, Basque Country, the UK and Scotland, parliamentary questions in Germany and Spain, women’s marches in over 20 countries, demonstrations in front of the EU Parliament in Brussels, press conferences in different national parliaments and international institutions, protests in London’s Trafalgar Square, and rallies in the “birthplace of democracy” of Athens.
There were also public meetings in Vienna and Copenhagen; seminars on social ecology and jineology in The Hague and Berlin; informational tents in Hamburg, Duisburg, and Stockholm; and govend-dancing from Darmstadt to Liverpool. Meanwhile, Kurdish Revolutionary Youth marched through the UK and Catalunya, Kurdish cultural groups held a procession through the middle of Amsterdam, and Lucerne formed a human chain stretching throughout the local park. In Italy, there were banners in Marzabotto and Bari, photo exhibits and interpretative dances in Milan and 9 other cities, and meetings with the local government in Montopolis di Sabina."
The statement also underlined that "the graphic novel ‘Freedom Shall Prevail: The Struggle of Abdullah Öcalan and the Kurdish People’ was launched in the UK; the film ‘History of Fire’ was screened by the Arin Mirkan Women’s Council in Switzerland; and the Kurdish People’s Assembly brought together Kurdish parties from across the four regions of Kurdistan (KNK, MSD, Gorran etc.) under the headline: “Let’s tear down the walls of Imrali with our organizational power!”
From South African supporters holding events in Johannesburg and Cape Town, to twenty new billboards of Öcalan’s face going up around Berlin as part of Ali Zülfikar’s new art exhibit, to the Jineology network singing with a local chorus at the train station in Marseille—our message was loud and clear, that we will not be silent as long as the illegal isolation on Imrali Island continues."
That message, said the organizing committee, "was further endorsed by all the autonomous regions (Basque, Catalunya etc.) trade unions, and was shouted and spoken about in events in varied places such as Andalucia, Galicia, Catalunya, Madrid, St. Gallen, Liège, Edinburgh, Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, Frankfurt, and Geneva. With one local CDK co-chair summarizing our position by announcing: “We will be in the streets until our Leader is free!”
But this message was not just limited to Europe, as large rallies were held in Qamislo, Rojava, and a historic one was held in the center of Amed in Northern Kurdistan, which featured members of the DEM party standing shoulder to shoulder with Öcalan’s brother’s Mehmet and his lawyers, who have not spoken to him in 3.5 and 5 years respectively. Such pressure also caused hundreds of lawyers in Turkey to march in front of the Turkish Constitutional Court in Ankara, with a banner asking them to: Apply the Law on Imrali, End the Isolation."
As part of the Global Days, the campaign also launched a global ‘tweet storm’ under the hashtag of #FreeAbdullahÖcalan, which was soon trending across the world with over 25,000 posts in English, German, Kurdish, and Turkish.
Moreover, a new documentary titled ‘Abdullah Öcalan: Life & Legacy’, was released and watched over 20,000 times in English on our X / twitter page, and 16,000 times in German on our campaign’s YouTube channel.
The statement added: "From Finland to Mexico, Indonesia to Ireland, and Cyprus to Australia, those who believe in Öcalan’s philosophy chanted, “His freedom is our freedom!”, while a diverse assortment of student groups, women’s organizations, trade unions, artist collectives, and political parties joined forces to show the regime in Turkey that they cannot imprison his ideas on human liberation, which continue to transcend all of Imrali Island’s barriers.
Furthermore, 1,524 attorneys from 35 countries around the world signed a petition calling for action to secure Öcalan’s freedom. On behalf of the signatories, a press conference was held in Brussels by representatives from the Association for Democracy and International Law (MAF-DAD), the Brussels Bar Association, the Brussels Bar Institute for Human Rights, the European Lawyers’ Association for Democracy and World Human Rights (ELDH), and the European Democratic Lawyers (AED).
That petition was a prelude to the 1507th meeting by the Committee of Ministers (CoM) of the Council of Europe (CoE) from 17-19 September 2024. As part of their monitoring the implementation of European Court of Human Rights’ rulings, the CoM finally addressed Turkey’s continued refusal to enact the Court’s 2014 decisions regarding life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, where Ankara is in breach of the ‘Right to Hope’ principle. By not allowing Öcalan the ability for release after 25 years, Turkey is in violation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which prohibits inhuman and degrading treatment. For their part, the CoM expressed deep concern over the lack of progress and urged Turkey to act, while announcing that they would review the matter in September 2025 and instructed the Secretariat to draft an interim resolution if no changes are made. And although this was a positive sign, we believe their response is insufficient, as it amounts to permission for Turkey to continue its inhumane and illegal actions of both internal and domestic law for one year more."
The statement continued: "Nevertheless, we will remain steadfast in our knowledge that we are on the right side of history. Abdullah Öcalan has not given up despite a quarter-century on a prison island, so we refuse to abandon his mission and will continue to stand with him! As Öcalan himself stated, “Our struggle is not only for the liberation of the Kurdish people, but the liberation of the humanity of the world. The loftiness of the Kurdish people will, in the final analysis, mean the loftiness of the world’s humanity too.”
And it is under that hopeful message that our campaign to end his isolation and bring about his freedom so that he can ne
The Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan: A Political Solution to the Kurdish Question campaign, thanked all participants in the Free Öcalan: Global Days.
ANF
NEWS DESK
Saturday, 19 October 2024
The Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan: A Political Solution to the Kurdish Question campaign, issued a statement to thank all those who participated in the Free Öcalan: Global Days earlier this month from October 1st to the 10th.
The campaign committee said: "After reviewing the results, we can confidently say that it was a resounding success!
During those ten days, over 250 events were held in 50 countries around the world, involving the participation of tens of thousands of people."
The statement added that "in European capital cities we saw seminars on democratic confederalism in Italy and Switzerland, activities by trade unions in Spain, Catalunya, Basque Country, the UK and Scotland, parliamentary questions in Germany and Spain, women’s marches in over 20 countries, demonstrations in front of the EU Parliament in Brussels, press conferences in different national parliaments and international institutions, protests in London’s Trafalgar Square, and rallies in the “birthplace of democracy” of Athens.
There were also public meetings in Vienna and Copenhagen; seminars on social ecology and jineology in The Hague and Berlin; informational tents in Hamburg, Duisburg, and Stockholm; and govend-dancing from Darmstadt to Liverpool. Meanwhile, Kurdish Revolutionary Youth marched through the UK and Catalunya, Kurdish cultural groups held a procession through the middle of Amsterdam, and Lucerne formed a human chain stretching throughout the local park. In Italy, there were banners in Marzabotto and Bari, photo exhibits and interpretative dances in Milan and 9 other cities, and meetings with the local government in Montopolis di Sabina."
The statement also underlined that "the graphic novel ‘Freedom Shall Prevail: The Struggle of Abdullah Öcalan and the Kurdish People’ was launched in the UK; the film ‘History of Fire’ was screened by the Arin Mirkan Women’s Council in Switzerland; and the Kurdish People’s Assembly brought together Kurdish parties from across the four regions of Kurdistan (KNK, MSD, Gorran etc.) under the headline: “Let’s tear down the walls of Imrali with our organizational power!”
From South African supporters holding events in Johannesburg and Cape Town, to twenty new billboards of Öcalan’s face going up around Berlin as part of Ali Zülfikar’s new art exhibit, to the Jineology network singing with a local chorus at the train station in Marseille—our message was loud and clear, that we will not be silent as long as the illegal isolation on Imrali Island continues."
That message, said the organizing committee, "was further endorsed by all the autonomous regions (Basque, Catalunya etc.) trade unions, and was shouted and spoken about in events in varied places such as Andalucia, Galicia, Catalunya, Madrid, St. Gallen, Liège, Edinburgh, Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, Frankfurt, and Geneva. With one local CDK co-chair summarizing our position by announcing: “We will be in the streets until our Leader is free!”
But this message was not just limited to Europe, as large rallies were held in Qamislo, Rojava, and a historic one was held in the center of Amed in Northern Kurdistan, which featured members of the DEM party standing shoulder to shoulder with Öcalan’s brother’s Mehmet and his lawyers, who have not spoken to him in 3.5 and 5 years respectively. Such pressure also caused hundreds of lawyers in Turkey to march in front of the Turkish Constitutional Court in Ankara, with a banner asking them to: Apply the Law on Imrali, End the Isolation."
As part of the Global Days, the campaign also launched a global ‘tweet storm’ under the hashtag of #FreeAbdullahÖcalan, which was soon trending across the world with over 25,000 posts in English, German, Kurdish, and Turkish.
Moreover, a new documentary titled ‘Abdullah Öcalan: Life & Legacy’, was released and watched over 20,000 times in English on our X / twitter page, and 16,000 times in German on our campaign’s YouTube channel.
The statement added: "From Finland to Mexico, Indonesia to Ireland, and Cyprus to Australia, those who believe in Öcalan’s philosophy chanted, “His freedom is our freedom!”, while a diverse assortment of student groups, women’s organizations, trade unions, artist collectives, and political parties joined forces to show the regime in Turkey that they cannot imprison his ideas on human liberation, which continue to transcend all of Imrali Island’s barriers.
Furthermore, 1,524 attorneys from 35 countries around the world signed a petition calling for action to secure Öcalan’s freedom. On behalf of the signatories, a press conference was held in Brussels by representatives from the Association for Democracy and International Law (MAF-DAD), the Brussels Bar Association, the Brussels Bar Institute for Human Rights, the European Lawyers’ Association for Democracy and World Human Rights (ELDH), and the European Democratic Lawyers (AED).
That petition was a prelude to the 1507th meeting by the Committee of Ministers (CoM) of the Council of Europe (CoE) from 17-19 September 2024. As part of their monitoring the implementation of European Court of Human Rights’ rulings, the CoM finally addressed Turkey’s continued refusal to enact the Court’s 2014 decisions regarding life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, where Ankara is in breach of the ‘Right to Hope’ principle. By not allowing Öcalan the ability for release after 25 years, Turkey is in violation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which prohibits inhuman and degrading treatment. For their part, the CoM expressed deep concern over the lack of progress and urged Turkey to act, while announcing that they would review the matter in September 2025 and instructed the Secretariat to draft an interim resolution if no changes are made. And although this was a positive sign, we believe their response is insufficient, as it amounts to permission for Turkey to continue its inhumane and illegal actions of both internal and domestic law for one year more."
The statement continued: "Nevertheless, we will remain steadfast in our knowledge that we are on the right side of history. Abdullah Öcalan has not given up despite a quarter-century on a prison island, so we refuse to abandon his mission and will continue to stand with him! As Öcalan himself stated, “Our struggle is not only for the liberation of the Kurdish people, but the liberation of the humanity of the world. The loftiness of the Kurdish people will, in the final analysis, mean the loftiness of the world’s humanity too.”
And it is under that hopeful message that our campaign to end his isolation and bring about his freedom so that he can ne
Eleonora Bonaccorsi, President of the Fonti di Pace Association of Italy, said that the Imrali torture system is a terrible injustice, and added: "This isolation is unprecedented in the world. Öcalan is a reality, we must fight for his freedom."
ANF
MILAN
Saturday, 19 October 2024, 09:55
44 months have passed without any news from Abdullah Öcalan. The Kurdish people’s leader has been held in severe isolation conditions in the Imrali torture system since 1999. His rights to see a lawyer and family have been denied as a whole, engulfed in a state of absolute lack of communication. The 'Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, Political Solution to the Kurdish Question' international campaign was launched globally on 10 October 2023, and continues to mobilize to demand freedom for the Kurdish people’s leader.
One of the supporters of the global freedom campaign is the Italian NGO Fonti di Pace. The association’s president, Eleonora Bonaccorsi, spoke to the ANF about the İmralı torture system and the importance of Abdullah Öcalan’s ideas.
‘Imrali isolation is unparalleled in the world’
Eleonora Bonaccorsi, said the conditions in which Öcalan is in are "horrific and unprecedented" and added: "This isolation cannot be explained by any law."
Bonaccorsi said: "We are all responsible for the conditions in which Abdullah Öcalan is in. Italy is particularly responsible for it and must face this responsibility. Öcalan was in Italy; he was taken prisoner after being forced to leave. Although Italy does not accept this responsibility, we are aware of what happened."
Bonaccorsi continued: "We are following the conditions in which Öcalan is kept very closely. I have attended many meetings in the European Parliament to discuss this issue and to mobilize civil society movements. We have a responsibility to explain the lawlessness that Öcalan is facing everywhere. We, as a people, have expressed our opposition to this isolation, but the European authorities prefer to remain silent. The reason for this silence is that they do not want to harm their relations with Erdoğan."
‘We are trying to implement Öcalan’s ideas’
Bonaccorsi said that "the paradigm put forward by Abdullah Öcalan is truly very advanced. He deeply addresses many of the problems experienced today and offers an alternative and solution with the ideas he puts forward. We strongly defend Öcalan’s paradigm and try to implement it.
We also economically support projects that spread Öcalan’s paradigm and try to implement it. We stand in solidarity with everyone who implements Öcalan’s ideas both in Europe and Kurdistan, because we believe that this paradigm must be defended."
‘We must continue to fight for Öcalan’s freedom’
Bonaccorsi said: "Öcalan is a reality. We cannot close our eyes to the conditions Öcalan is in and ignore the unlawfulness that is taking place. Therefore, we must continue to fight until we achieve his freedom."
Award-winning author Wilson: Abdullah Öcalan's leadership sends important messages to the world
Comics are on the rise and are becoming more sophisticated. It's a great time for comic artists, said Sean Wilson, author of the graphic novel "Abdullah Öcalan. An illustrated biography".
HIKMET ERDEN/NEJLA ARİ
LONDON
Thursday, 17 October 2024
Scottish author Sean Wilson has published 45 comics so far and, in his work, has dealt with figures such as Jeremy Corbyn, Noam Chomsky, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, among others. Three years ago, at the presentation of the comic book "Fight the Power!" in London, he met Estella Schmid, who has been working for Peace in Kurdistan for forty years. This meeting led him to write a graphic novel about the life of Abdullah Öcalan.
The comic book, written by Wilson, was illustrated by Keko, a Kurdish cartoonist living in Spain, and has been published in several languages. The German version was published by Unrast Verlag under the title "Abdullah Öcalan. An illustrated biography" and presented in Berlin on the occasion of Öcalan's 75th birthday in April. The English edition is called “Freedom shall prevail” and was presented as part of the Global Free Öcalan Days by Sean Wilson and Reimar Heider from the International Initiative Edition in Cambridge and London.
ANF spoke to Sean Wilson at the presentation in London.
The book has been translated into many languages and presented in several countries. What kind of reactions do you get, for example, from people who hear about Abdullah Öcalan for the first time?
A British anarchist was here earlier. He said he came to the event specifically because of this book. I couldn't discover how he found out about the book. There was also another guy from Iran who had somehow heard about the book. I got mostly positive reactions. Some said: why a comic? Because when they think of comics, they think of humor.
The interesting thing about this situation is that there is nothing new in terms of the general approach. Nowadays, complex comics are called "graphic novels" and there are many graphic novels that deal with various topics. For example, history, medicine, psychology, climate issues. Almost everything that can be called an interesting and difficult topic has already had a comic written about it. So it is a very established genre.
The special thing about this project is that it is the first book on this topic. And that's great because, while many art forms are declining, comics are on the rise and are becoming more deep and sophisticated. It's a great time to be a comic artist.
Comics are very new to Kurdistan...
The new generation doesn't read many books. Comic books are more used and are an important tool to reach the younger generation. And now this comic has become a textbook for children in Rojava. I think today's generation can get to know the Kurdish movement and Abdullah Öcalan better in this way.
Various studies at universities around the world have shown how people who are presented with a pure textbook, a magazine or a comic can absorb information more easily from a comic and - this is very important - remember it better. There is no point in getting information if you can't remember it. It is now very clear that graphic novels are a very good art form for presenting and remembering complex topics.
Also, a 17-year-old who is presented with a text of two or three hundred pages is usually intimidated. But if you present the same thing in a comic format, he immediately thinks, "Oh, that's interesting." This removes a psychological barrier to learning, and that's a very important point.
Why were you interested in Kurdistan, and why did you choose Abdullah Öcalan? Why did you get involved in this project?
When the idea came up, I started to find out about Öcalan, because up until then I knew almost nothing. And when I learned something about the Kurdish struggle, I immediately saw that it interested me, because it is about people who are trying to build a democratic society. The Kurds are also very gentle, they thanked me for writing such a book. That brought me closer to the struggle of the Kurdish people.
A very important point was also that this movement corresponds to my political views. I have an anti-capitalist and almost anarchist philosophy and I think democratic confederalism is a very good way to achieve a really better society.
As to Abdullah Öcalan, there are two things that are widely known: his personal pain, his personal struggle, but perhaps more importantly, the fact that he did not turn this democratic cause into a dictatorship or an oppressive structure, as many people have done throughout history. This is extremely important. This is true of the Communards in the 19th century, the Spanish in the 20th century, or the Kurdish people today. In trying to establish a truly democratic system, it must not turn into a dictatorship. And Öcalan seems to understand this and wants it to remain democratic. This is an important message to the world.
What impressed you most about his life?
The beginning of the book is about Abdullah Öcalan's childhood. We go back to his childhood and see how his childhood experiences are reflected in his current paradigm and philosophy. The experiences he had with other children at the age of seven led him to develop a strategy. And he is incorporating this strategy, which was born out of disputes between Kurdish children, into the struggle in the future. He has experience in people's lives, and that is how democratic confederalism was formed. You can see how he has incorporated his experiences into this paradigm.
Also, Abdullah Öcalan's experiences with violence and the oppression of women in his childhood were a basis for shaping the women's liberation struggle in the future. This is very impressive and can be recreated in the comic. You feel as if you are experiencing it yourself.
Do you think his ideas can solve the deadlocked conflicts, war and violence in the Middle East?
Yes, I think there are two points here. If we ask: "Are Abdullah Öcalan's ideas useful and practical?" then absolutely yes. But if we ask: "Will these ideas be able to be implemented?" then probably not. Because for the last 200 years, every movement that has tried to create a better system than capitalism, there has always been a powerful group that has come and blocked you, not just blocked you, but shot you. So the challenge is not whether the ideas are feasible, but whether you should give them a chance.
Those are two completely different points. I think that these ideas are feasible, and that is very important, because most people in Britain, in Turkey, in the world, believe that there is no feasible alternative to capitalism. That is wrong. There is such a space. We can create it. We can build that space. But there are powerful groups that don't want us to try. That is the difficulty. If we can overcome that obstacle, we can make these ideas a reality.
There is no information about Abdullah Öcalan and people all over the world are taking to the streets for his freedom.
Abdullah Öcalan must be released. When people talk about Abdullah Öcalan, they always make a connection with Nelson Mandela. His release is not completely impossible. However, I think Abdullah Öcalan himself would say that the freedom of the Kurdish people is more important than his own freedom. But these two things are connected.
Comics are on the rise and are becoming more sophisticated. It's a great time for comic artists, said Sean Wilson, author of the graphic novel "Abdullah Öcalan. An illustrated biography".
HIKMET ERDEN/NEJLA ARİ
LONDON
Thursday, 17 October 2024
Scottish author Sean Wilson has published 45 comics so far and, in his work, has dealt with figures such as Jeremy Corbyn, Noam Chomsky, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, among others. Three years ago, at the presentation of the comic book "Fight the Power!" in London, he met Estella Schmid, who has been working for Peace in Kurdistan for forty years. This meeting led him to write a graphic novel about the life of Abdullah Öcalan.
The comic book, written by Wilson, was illustrated by Keko, a Kurdish cartoonist living in Spain, and has been published in several languages. The German version was published by Unrast Verlag under the title "Abdullah Öcalan. An illustrated biography" and presented in Berlin on the occasion of Öcalan's 75th birthday in April. The English edition is called “Freedom shall prevail” and was presented as part of the Global Free Öcalan Days by Sean Wilson and Reimar Heider from the International Initiative Edition in Cambridge and London.
ANF spoke to Sean Wilson at the presentation in London.
The book has been translated into many languages and presented in several countries. What kind of reactions do you get, for example, from people who hear about Abdullah Öcalan for the first time?
A British anarchist was here earlier. He said he came to the event specifically because of this book. I couldn't discover how he found out about the book. There was also another guy from Iran who had somehow heard about the book. I got mostly positive reactions. Some said: why a comic? Because when they think of comics, they think of humor.
The interesting thing about this situation is that there is nothing new in terms of the general approach. Nowadays, complex comics are called "graphic novels" and there are many graphic novels that deal with various topics. For example, history, medicine, psychology, climate issues. Almost everything that can be called an interesting and difficult topic has already had a comic written about it. So it is a very established genre.
The special thing about this project is that it is the first book on this topic. And that's great because, while many art forms are declining, comics are on the rise and are becoming more deep and sophisticated. It's a great time to be a comic artist.
Comics are very new to Kurdistan...
The new generation doesn't read many books. Comic books are more used and are an important tool to reach the younger generation. And now this comic has become a textbook for children in Rojava. I think today's generation can get to know the Kurdish movement and Abdullah Öcalan better in this way.
Various studies at universities around the world have shown how people who are presented with a pure textbook, a magazine or a comic can absorb information more easily from a comic and - this is very important - remember it better. There is no point in getting information if you can't remember it. It is now very clear that graphic novels are a very good art form for presenting and remembering complex topics.
Also, a 17-year-old who is presented with a text of two or three hundred pages is usually intimidated. But if you present the same thing in a comic format, he immediately thinks, "Oh, that's interesting." This removes a psychological barrier to learning, and that's a very important point.
Why were you interested in Kurdistan, and why did you choose Abdullah Öcalan? Why did you get involved in this project?
When the idea came up, I started to find out about Öcalan, because up until then I knew almost nothing. And when I learned something about the Kurdish struggle, I immediately saw that it interested me, because it is about people who are trying to build a democratic society. The Kurds are also very gentle, they thanked me for writing such a book. That brought me closer to the struggle of the Kurdish people.
A very important point was also that this movement corresponds to my political views. I have an anti-capitalist and almost anarchist philosophy and I think democratic confederalism is a very good way to achieve a really better society.
As to Abdullah Öcalan, there are two things that are widely known: his personal pain, his personal struggle, but perhaps more importantly, the fact that he did not turn this democratic cause into a dictatorship or an oppressive structure, as many people have done throughout history. This is extremely important. This is true of the Communards in the 19th century, the Spanish in the 20th century, or the Kurdish people today. In trying to establish a truly democratic system, it must not turn into a dictatorship. And Öcalan seems to understand this and wants it to remain democratic. This is an important message to the world.
What impressed you most about his life?
The beginning of the book is about Abdullah Öcalan's childhood. We go back to his childhood and see how his childhood experiences are reflected in his current paradigm and philosophy. The experiences he had with other children at the age of seven led him to develop a strategy. And he is incorporating this strategy, which was born out of disputes between Kurdish children, into the struggle in the future. He has experience in people's lives, and that is how democratic confederalism was formed. You can see how he has incorporated his experiences into this paradigm.
Also, Abdullah Öcalan's experiences with violence and the oppression of women in his childhood were a basis for shaping the women's liberation struggle in the future. This is very impressive and can be recreated in the comic. You feel as if you are experiencing it yourself.
Do you think his ideas can solve the deadlocked conflicts, war and violence in the Middle East?
Yes, I think there are two points here. If we ask: "Are Abdullah Öcalan's ideas useful and practical?" then absolutely yes. But if we ask: "Will these ideas be able to be implemented?" then probably not. Because for the last 200 years, every movement that has tried to create a better system than capitalism, there has always been a powerful group that has come and blocked you, not just blocked you, but shot you. So the challenge is not whether the ideas are feasible, but whether you should give them a chance.
Those are two completely different points. I think that these ideas are feasible, and that is very important, because most people in Britain, in Turkey, in the world, believe that there is no feasible alternative to capitalism. That is wrong. There is such a space. We can create it. We can build that space. But there are powerful groups that don't want us to try. That is the difficulty. If we can overcome that obstacle, we can make these ideas a reality.
There is no information about Abdullah Öcalan and people all over the world are taking to the streets for his freedom.
Abdullah Öcalan must be released. When people talk about Abdullah Öcalan, they always make a connection with Nelson Mandela. His release is not completely impossible. However, I think Abdullah Öcalan himself would say that the freedom of the Kurdish people is more important than his own freedom. But these two things are connected.
Heider: It is important to reach out to peoples other than Kurds to ensure Öcalan's freedom
Reimar Heider from the International Initiative for the Freedom of Abdullah Öcalan said: “Isolation can only be broken through struggle. For the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan, it is necessary to reach out to peoples other than Kurds.”
HİKMET ERDEN / NEJLA ARİ
LONDON
Tuesday, 15 October 2024, 15:08
Reimer Heider, the project editor of the graphic novel ‘Freedom Shall Prevail: The Struggle of Abdullah Öcalan and the Kurdish People’ said that in a world where fascism is on the rise and wars are raging, peoples see Abdullah Öcalan as a hope for revolution with his ideas. According to Heider, what makes Abdullah Öcalan different is not only his struggle and resistance against ISIS and Turkish state colonialism, but also the fact that he has ideas that transcend all these.
The promotion meetings of the graphic novel ‘Freedom Shall Prevail: The Struggle of Abdullah Öcalan and the Kurdish People’ continue. The award-winning author of the book is Sean Michael Wilson from Scotland and the Project Editor is Reimar Heider of the International Initiative for the Freedom of Abdullah Öcalan.
Speaking to ANF, Reimar Heider said that the interest in the book's promotional meetings was very good and added: “It is especially important that this book reaches the reader in the form of a graphic novel, with an artistic presentation. The fact that both Abdullah Öcalan's life and a part of the Kurdish freedom struggle are illustrated makes it palpable. This is the main difference of this book.”
Reimar Heider commented on the fact that it was a first for the Kurds to reflect a political story as a graphic novel and said, “Of course, we have previously published a book on the life of the Kurdish People's Leader by translating it into different languages. We edited it. But this one tells it from a slightly different perspective. It is not a book that is difficult to read. It describes the struggle in a language that is more understandable and attractive to everyone. It tells it in a way that everyone from children to the elderly, from academics to workers can easily access it.”
'Almost all of them had some knowledge of Abdullah Öcalan'
Referring to the intense interest at the presentation meeting at Cambridge University, Heider said: “Most of those who were there had either read one of the defences Öcalan had written in prison or had read the pamphlets. Some of them were influenced by the idea of Jineoloji (Women’s Science). Some were influenced by democratic confederalism. Some were influenced by the Rojava system. Almost all of them had some knowledge of Abdullah Öcalan. Cambridge University was a little different. Some were so impressed by Abdullah Öcalan that they brought their mothers to the introductory meeting. There were Portuguese, Italians, Irish, English people.”
‘They see Öcalan as a thinker who laid the foundations of the Rojava Revolution’
Describing the perspective of university students on Abdullah Öcalan's ideas, Heider said: “They are quite impressed by Abdullah Öcalan. Especially in these difficult times, in such a Middle East, in such a world where fascism is on the rise on all sides, where there are wars in which religious extremists are massacring people, they see Abdullah Öcalan as a leader who really creates hope. And they see and recognise Abdullah Öcalan as a thinker who laid the foundations of the Rojava Revolution, which proves that not only everything is going badly, but that there are also good things, that revolution is still possible.”
‘A unique situation in the history of revolutions’
Expressing that they were astonished that Abdullah Öcalan developed the paradigm of Democratic Confederalism in an island prison, Heider said, “All this thought process takes place in prison and he makes suggestions to his movement, looks at them, discusses them and does something and a revolution emerges. This is a unique situation in the history of revolutions. Of course, it arouses curiosity. It is seen as extraordinary that he creates hope with his thoughts and practical power in this way.”
'Everyone agrees that isolation can only be broken through struggle'
Heider said everyone agrees that absolute isolation is unacceptable and that isolation can only be broken through the struggle of the peoples: “If we want to expand the struggle for Abdullah Öcalan's freedom, we need to reach out to peoples other than Kurds. There is great potential. Kurds may be organised in Europe, but there is a numerical limit. It is important to reach out to other peoples to ensure Abdullah Öcalan's freedom.”
'I was influenced by Öcalan’s ideas and ideology'
Asked about his belief in Abdullah Öcalan and the reason for his efforts in the struggle despite him not being Kurdish, Heider stated: “What makes Abdullah Öcalan different? There is a struggle against ISIS, there is a struggle and resistance against the Turkish state colonialism. But more than that, people are influenced by Abdullah Öcalan's ideas. It is not only resistance and armed struggle, but the fact that Abdullah Öcalan has ideas that transcend all these makes him different and impressive. Making a proposal to create a more democratic and new system, explaining it well, describing its historical roots, creating its philosophy; this is Abdullah Öcalan's difference. Unfortunately, these ideas are not always examined thoroughly. It is not enough just to say to the peoples of the world, ‘We want the freedom of our leader’. His ideas are important because thoughts and ideas affect peoples. His ideas also affected me. As a young student, I met the Kurdish freedom struggle years ago. I witnessed the resistance of the Kurds, the persecution they suffered, and it influenced me. But more than that, it is Öcalan’s ideas and ideology.”
Reimar Heider from the International Initiative for the Freedom of Abdullah Öcalan said: “Isolation can only be broken through struggle. For the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan, it is necessary to reach out to peoples other than Kurds.”
HİKMET ERDEN / NEJLA ARİ
LONDON
Tuesday, 15 October 2024, 15:08
Reimer Heider, the project editor of the graphic novel ‘Freedom Shall Prevail: The Struggle of Abdullah Öcalan and the Kurdish People’ said that in a world where fascism is on the rise and wars are raging, peoples see Abdullah Öcalan as a hope for revolution with his ideas. According to Heider, what makes Abdullah Öcalan different is not only his struggle and resistance against ISIS and Turkish state colonialism, but also the fact that he has ideas that transcend all these.
The promotion meetings of the graphic novel ‘Freedom Shall Prevail: The Struggle of Abdullah Öcalan and the Kurdish People’ continue. The award-winning author of the book is Sean Michael Wilson from Scotland and the Project Editor is Reimar Heider of the International Initiative for the Freedom of Abdullah Öcalan.
Speaking to ANF, Reimar Heider said that the interest in the book's promotional meetings was very good and added: “It is especially important that this book reaches the reader in the form of a graphic novel, with an artistic presentation. The fact that both Abdullah Öcalan's life and a part of the Kurdish freedom struggle are illustrated makes it palpable. This is the main difference of this book.”
Reimar Heider commented on the fact that it was a first for the Kurds to reflect a political story as a graphic novel and said, “Of course, we have previously published a book on the life of the Kurdish People's Leader by translating it into different languages. We edited it. But this one tells it from a slightly different perspective. It is not a book that is difficult to read. It describes the struggle in a language that is more understandable and attractive to everyone. It tells it in a way that everyone from children to the elderly, from academics to workers can easily access it.”
'Almost all of them had some knowledge of Abdullah Öcalan'
Referring to the intense interest at the presentation meeting at Cambridge University, Heider said: “Most of those who were there had either read one of the defences Öcalan had written in prison or had read the pamphlets. Some of them were influenced by the idea of Jineoloji (Women’s Science). Some were influenced by democratic confederalism. Some were influenced by the Rojava system. Almost all of them had some knowledge of Abdullah Öcalan. Cambridge University was a little different. Some were so impressed by Abdullah Öcalan that they brought their mothers to the introductory meeting. There were Portuguese, Italians, Irish, English people.”
‘They see Öcalan as a thinker who laid the foundations of the Rojava Revolution’
Describing the perspective of university students on Abdullah Öcalan's ideas, Heider said: “They are quite impressed by Abdullah Öcalan. Especially in these difficult times, in such a Middle East, in such a world where fascism is on the rise on all sides, where there are wars in which religious extremists are massacring people, they see Abdullah Öcalan as a leader who really creates hope. And they see and recognise Abdullah Öcalan as a thinker who laid the foundations of the Rojava Revolution, which proves that not only everything is going badly, but that there are also good things, that revolution is still possible.”
‘A unique situation in the history of revolutions’
Expressing that they were astonished that Abdullah Öcalan developed the paradigm of Democratic Confederalism in an island prison, Heider said, “All this thought process takes place in prison and he makes suggestions to his movement, looks at them, discusses them and does something and a revolution emerges. This is a unique situation in the history of revolutions. Of course, it arouses curiosity. It is seen as extraordinary that he creates hope with his thoughts and practical power in this way.”
'Everyone agrees that isolation can only be broken through struggle'
Heider said everyone agrees that absolute isolation is unacceptable and that isolation can only be broken through the struggle of the peoples: “If we want to expand the struggle for Abdullah Öcalan's freedom, we need to reach out to peoples other than Kurds. There is great potential. Kurds may be organised in Europe, but there is a numerical limit. It is important to reach out to other peoples to ensure Abdullah Öcalan's freedom.”
'I was influenced by Öcalan’s ideas and ideology'
Asked about his belief in Abdullah Öcalan and the reason for his efforts in the struggle despite him not being Kurdish, Heider stated: “What makes Abdullah Öcalan different? There is a struggle against ISIS, there is a struggle and resistance against the Turkish state colonialism. But more than that, people are influenced by Abdullah Öcalan's ideas. It is not only resistance and armed struggle, but the fact that Abdullah Öcalan has ideas that transcend all these makes him different and impressive. Making a proposal to create a more democratic and new system, explaining it well, describing its historical roots, creating its philosophy; this is Abdullah Öcalan's difference. Unfortunately, these ideas are not always examined thoroughly. It is not enough just to say to the peoples of the world, ‘We want the freedom of our leader’. His ideas are important because thoughts and ideas affect peoples. His ideas also affected me. As a young student, I met the Kurdish freedom struggle years ago. I witnessed the resistance of the Kurds, the persecution they suffered, and it influenced me. But more than that, it is Öcalan’s ideas and ideology.”
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