Saturday, April 20, 2024

Arnott: Abdulah Öcalan is the key to peace

The Scottish Trade Union Confederation, representing more than half a million workers in Britain, decided to expand the fight for the freedom of Kurdish People's Leader Abdulah Öcalan at its 2024 general congress.



ANF
NEWS DESK
Saturday, 20 April 2024, 12:02

Mike Arnott, President of the Scottish Trade Union Confederation, spoke about the decisions taken at the congress to put pressure on both the British and Turkish states on the issue of Britain's arms sales to Turkey and a political solution to the Kurdish problem.

Arnott said that they called on the Turkish state and the British government to ensure the freedom of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan and to take some steps, and added: "In addition, they called on the British government to initiate diplomatic initiatives in NATO, to stop their arms sales to Turkey, and also to protect the Kurdish people. We also demanded that they take action to immediately stop the bombing of their regions. We have prioritized our decisions to stop the attacks on Kurdish regions in Northern and Eastern Syria and to ensure that the British government puts pressure on Turkey to release Abdullah Öcalan."

Arnott said that they will write a special letter to the British Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Turkish Embassy regarding the release of Abdullah Öcalan, and added: "Abdullah Öcalan, who has been held captive for 25 years and has not heard from him for the last 3 years, became the main topic for 300 delegates representing more than half a million workers. We also discussed the issue of the repeated denial of lawyers and family visits by the Turkish authorities. While making our final declaration and decisions, none of the delegates opposed the motion and voted for it."

Arnott said: "We are already working for Öcalan's freedom, because he is the person who can bring about peace, but these important congress decisions will enable us to put even heavier pressure on the states."

The Scottish Trade Unions Congress passed a motion calling for Öcalan's freedom.




ANF
DUNDEE
Saturday, 20 April 2024

A motion calling for Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan's freedom was passed by the Scottish Trade Unions Congress at their Annual Congress in Dundee.

The mover of the motion was Dundee Trades Union Council, while the seconder was East Kilbride & South Lanarkshire Trades Union Council.

The motion reads as follows:

"That this Congress notes that the Kurdish question in Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey is one of the major unresolved problems of the Middle East. The conflict between the Turkish state and the Kurdish freedom movement has cost tens of thousands of lives while millions of Kurds have become refugees across the world.

Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan has endured 26 years in prison after being illegally kidnapped from Kenya and handed over to Turkey. He has had no contact with the outside world, in violation of both Turkish and international law, for 3 years. His last meeting with his lawyers was in August 2019 and his last communication with anyone outside prison, a phone call with his brother, was in March 2021.

Meanwhile, Turkey, as a NATO country, continues to bomb Kurdish settlements in North and East Syria and in Iraq as well as oppressing and imprisoning Kurdish politicians and citizens at home.

Congress reiterates its view that his release is essential to starting a political dialogue to resolve the ongoing issue of Kurdish self-determination. Öcalan’s principle of Democratic Confederalism, put into practice in Rojava and inspiring many, including the CUB Trade Union in Italy, offers solutions to many of the problems of the Middle East and beyond, with its methodology of women’s liberation and democratic, autonomous organising.

Congress regrets the invitation offered to Turkey’s President Erdoğan to visit Scotland by the First Minister. President Erdoğan’s government has continued the war on the Kurds, refused to hold peace talks, sanctioned the use of violence and legal action against political opposition and attacked independent media/journalists.

Congress demands that;

The UK Governmentstops its arms sales to Turkey;
through diplomatic and NATO channels, pressurises Turkey to stop the bombing of Kurds in North and East Syria and Iraq;
pressurises Turkey to release Abdullah Ocalan;

The Turkish Governmentreleases Abdullah Öcalan;
ends its oppression and imprisonment of Kurdish political and cultural organisations and individuals; and
enters into negotiations to resolve its conflict with the Kurdish freedom movement."

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