Rally demanding freedom for Abdullah Öcalan in Berlin

A demonstration for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan took place in Berlin.


ANF
BERLIN
Sunday, 8 September 2024, 11:13





A demonstration against the solitary confinement of Abdullah Öcalan, who is being held captive in Imrali since 1999, took place in Berlin.

The action, organized by the youth movements TCŞ and TekoJIN, was part of the internationally led campaign "Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan and a political solution to the Kurdish question". The organizations demanded the physical freedom of the Kurdish people's leader, and criticized the governments of Western countries for their silence about the injustice in Imrali and their ambivalence towards the violations of human rights and international law by the Turkish state in Kurdistan.

TCŞ activists said: "We are on the streets against 25 years of isolation, torture and isolation. Abdullah Öcalan is the living symbol of the Kurdish people's struggle for freedom. He is the path to a solution not only to the Kurdish question, but to all peoples of the Middle East. Yet the world ignores this.

The European Union, the United Nations and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) remain silent about the inhumane conditions of solitary confinement in Imrali. They trample on their own laws and turn a blind eye to Turkey's blatant human rights violations."

The activists continued: "While the legitimate resistance of the Kurdish people is being declared terror, Turkey's imperialist policy is spreading throughout the Middle East. We are not silent now, and we will not remain silent in the future. The freedom of Abdullah Öcalan is the key to justice and peace not only for the Kurdish people, but also for the entire region.

His release is more than a symbolic demand; it is an indispensable prerequisite for establishing genuine peace in the Middle East. This inhumane isolation regime must be ended immediately and Abdullah Öcalan must be released. The Turkish occupation and extermination policy against the Kurdish people must be ended. Because we know that Öcalan's freedom is the freedom of the Kurdish people."

The Berlin police were present in large numbers and repeatedly attracted attention with provocative behavior throughout the march. Nevertheless, the event was able to reach its end without interruption. After the rally, the participants then held a sit-in to protest against the detention of four people, who were subsequently released.