KCDK-E calls for participation in Öcalan freedom sit-in in Strasbourg
In a written statement on Friday, the KCDK-E co-chairs said: “Turkey wants to break the will of the Kurdish people by maintaining absolute isolation on Öcalan. It is obvious that the Turkish state is blocking democratic rights and freedoms in Turkey with its genocidal policies.
The statement continued:
“The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) is not doing its job, nor responding to the repeated calls we have made. The CPT is responsible for monitoring all developments in İmralı but does not fulfill its functions. Following resistance from the Kurdish people and their friends, the CPT and the Council of Europe admitted that Imralı Prison is a system of torture and should be reformed. However, no reforms have been introduced so far and there has been no news from Öcalan in the last 22 months. All of this stems from the silence and inability of the CPT, the Council of Europe and other relevant institutions to do their job.
Although the CPT recently visited Imrali Prison, we do not know whether its officials have met Öcalan or not, and we have no information on his health and safety. The CPT and the Council of Europe are responsible for the lack of information.
Our actions to embrace Öcalan will continue uninterrupted until his lawyers meet him and issue a statement to the public.
On this basis, we will organize a sit-in in Strasbourg from 23 to 25 January, during the sessions of the Council of Europe. Our aim is to urge the Council of Europe to put pressure on Turkey for a meeting between Öcalan and his lawyers.
Our three-day action will bring together co-chairs, politicians, artists, European friends, representatives of institutions and religious parties of Kurdistan and representatives of the Union of Forces. A mass rally will take place on the last day.
We call for a broad participation of our people in the sit-in action which will take place from January 23 to 25.
The sit-in will take place daily between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The address is as follows: Avenue de l’Europe 67000 Strasbourg.