Catalonia’s two prominent labour organisations, the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) and the Inter-Union Confederation (IC), have issued strong statements calling for the release of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan and a political solution to the Kurdish question in Turkey.
CGT, in a statement released on 7 October, voiced solidarity with the Kurdish liberation movement and condemned the prolonged detention of Öcalan: “The Turkish State has imprisoned and isolated him for 25 years in Imrali prison. His imprisonment aims to suppress anti-state, anti-patriarchal and anti-capitalist ideas.”
Highlighting the Kurdish movement’s focus on women’s liberation, environmentalism, and self-government, CGT added, “We demand the release of Öcalan because, as anarcho-syndicalists, we cannot remain silent in the face of the deprivation of freedom for those who struggle for a better world.”
IC, on 8 October, published a statement reiterating solidarity with the Kurdish struggle: “The IC has been carrying out solidarity actions with the Kurdish people’s struggle for many years … A year ago, an international campaign was launched to demand the release of Ocalan kidnapped in 1999 by the Turkish security services. The sentence was commuted to life, served on the prison island of İmralı in conditions of absolute isolation. Neither his family nor his defence lawyers have maintained any kind of communication since 2021.”
“On the first anniversary of this international campaign, we at the IC want to renew our commitment to denounce human rights violations in Turkey, starting with those affecting prisoners,” IC continued.
The union syndicate further criticised the broader political situation in Turkey, citing restrictions on political parties and mass imprisonment: “It is estimated that more than 10,000 people are currently imprisoned in Turkey on charges of crimes of opinion, in very harsh conditions of isolation.”
Both unions emphasised that Öcalan’s release would be a crucial step towards resolving the Kurdish issue. “The release of the prisoners will undoubtedly be the most important step towards opening new avenues of exchanges and talks to reach a political solution,” IC stated.
The CGT and IC’s demands align with growing international pressure for Öcalan’s freedom and a resolution to the long-standing Kurdish issue within Turkey’s borders.
