The ‘Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan: A Political Solution to the Kurdish Question’ campaign has marked its first year with a call for intensified pressure on Turkey to permit Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan access to his lawyers, enabling him to work towards a lasting resolution to the Kurdish question.
The campaign’s letter, released on Tuesday, acknowledged the significance of the 23 October meeting between Öcalan and his nephew, the first contact in 44 months, as a pivotal outcome of the campaign’s extensive efforts. “We believe that the Turkish state has finally decided to open a window regarding the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan,” the letter states. However, it cautions that Turkey’s track record of broken promises should temper optimism and emphasises the urgency for Öcalan to be allowed consistent legal access.
Over the past year, the campaign—launched on 10 October 2023—has held over 250 events across more than 50 countries, applying what it describes as “enormous pressure” on Turkey and European institutions. This international mobilisation underscores a collective call for Öcalan’s release and his involvement as a “chief negotiator for the Kurdish cause.” The letter stresses that a crucial step in this direction is Öcalan’s access to his legal representatives, which it argues is “mandated under international and Turkey’s own laws.”
The campaign’s message urges caution following the recent meeting, recalling Turkey’s history of unfulfilled promises. “The next constructive step—which is mandated under international and Turkey’s own laws—should be to allow him access to his lawyers, with whom he has not met since 2019”, the letter continues. The campaign emphasises that only under these conditions will PKK leader Öcalan be able to work for “lasting peace between Ankara and the Kurdistan freedom movement.”
The letter likens Turkey’s stance to “holding an olive branch in one hand while steering an armed drone with the other,” referring to continued military operations targeting Kurdish-controlled areas in the region.
The campaign letter concludes with a commitment to expanding its efforts, stating, “we now have tangible proof that our campaign is working and having an effect.” The message ends by calling for a renewed dedication to see Öcalan “walk off Imrali Island as a free man and finally solve the century-old Kurdish question.”
