Political parties and democratic mass organizations are initiating the "Great Freedom March" for the removal of the isolation on PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan and the resolution of the Kurdish issue.
A press conference was held in Diyarbakır regarding the march, which will start on February 1 and continue until February 15.
The conference was attended by Members of Parliament from the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), Co-Chairs of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), and numerous representatives from civil society organizations.
Prisoners commence hunger strike demanding freedom for PKK leader
During the meeting, DEM Party Mardin Deputy Beritan Güneş spoke first.
Güneş, noting that isolation has been imposed on Öcalan for 25 years, said, "We hope this march will open a path to a solution for the people of Turkey and Kurdistan. To solve the Kurdish issue, Mr. Abdullah Öcalan needs to play a role, and for that, his physical freedom must be ensured."
Following Güneş, Keskin Bayındır, Co-Chair of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), read the press statement.
Speaking in Kurdish, Bayındır began by saying, "We are launching the freedom march to break the isolation on Imrali and for the democratic solution of the Kurdish issue."
"Isolation imprisons the Kurdish issue in irresolution"
Bayındır emphasized that the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan "imprisons the Kurdish issue in irresolution" and continued:
"Mr. Öcalan, is kept in absolute isolation, it has not been possible to receive any direct or indirect information from him for 2 years and 10 months, which is 1037 days. Absolute isolation practices have no place in Turkish domestic law or international law, and they lack moral, conscientious, and humane aspects. The İmrali isolation system is at the center of policies aimed at liquidating the Kurdish people's struggle for freedom. Absolute isolation means the occupation, dehumanization, and subjugation of the Kurdistan region under war policies.
The policy of absolute communication isolation on İmrali has drawn Turkey into a vortex of regional conflict triggered by economic, social, and political crises domestically and imperial ambitions internationally. In this critical period, one of the most important ways to escape crises and regional wars is to abolish the Imrali isolation system and ensure the physical freedom of Mr. Öcalan."
"Öcalan represents democratic solution"
"The physical freedom of Mr. Öcalan signifies a peaceful, democratic solution to the Kurdish issue. The words spoken by Mr. Öcalan in 2010 demonstrate the critical nature of his physical freedom for the construction of free lives for peoples: 'Living outside is possible only under one condition, that is, to be in constant struggle for the existence and freedom of Kurds and Turkish workers under the conditions of capitalism throughout the twenty-four hours of the day.'
"We declare that we will initiate the 'Great Freedom March' in the cities and districts of Kurdistan from February 1 until the anniversary of the International Conspiracy against Mr. Öcalan on February 15."
"Our demands include the establishment of the legal rights of Mr. Öcalan, especially lawyer-family visits, and ensuring his physical freedom for the democratic solution of the Kurdish issue." (RT/PE)
