Hanover’s Maschsee hosted a public reading on 10 December to commemorate the 75th anniversary of International Human Rights Day. The event centred around themes of women’s liberation, the environment, and democracy, with a special emphasis on the continued imprisonment of Abdullah Öcalan, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader, held in solitary confinement for over two decades on Turkey’s Imrali Island.
🔴 International Human Rights Day event in Hanover, Germany, spotlights PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan's advocacy of women's rights.#OcalanBooksDay | #InternationalHumanRightsDay | #FreeOcalan4PoliticalSolution
🔗 https://t.co/dIhsaWNbeB pic.twitter.com/mupYZFIPdq
— MedyaNews (@1MedyaNews) December 11, 2023
Participants braved the cold, gathering around a fire barrel and warming themselves with tea as they listened to readings and speeches. The mantra ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ (‘Woman, Life, Freedom’) resonated throughout the event, symbolising a broader call for women’s rights. Speakers were optimistic that the 21st century would be a pivotal era for these issues, and education was highlighted as a key tool for resisting oppression.
Abdullah Öcalan, pioneer of the Kurdish feminist revolution, was held in absolute incommunicado isolation in order to prevent the spread of his ideas, speakers asserted. However, such efforts have proven unsuccessful, they noted.
This show of solidarity from Hanover aligned with Öcalan Books Day, an international initiative to disseminate Öcalan’s writings and provoke discussion on his unique perspectives.
Öcalan, who has authored over 40 books, continues to significantly influence political discourse despite his confinement. His literary works, exploring Middle Eastern and Kurdish history, are available on ocalanbooks.com in at least 16 languages. The website serves as a hub for accessing his political theories and fostering dialogue.
An on-going global campaign to free Öcalan from isolation was spotlighted in Maschsee and in general Öcalan Books Day events. This campaign advocates for a nonviolent resolution to the Kurdish conflict in Turkey and seeks a peaceful and diplomatic approach to the Kurdish issue. Despite having no external contact since March 2021, Öcalan remains a beacon of hope for his supporters.
