Lorena Lopez de Lacalle, president of the European Free Alliance (EFA), strongly criticised Turkey’s treatment of Abdullah Öcalan and its attacks against Kurdish-led North and East Syria during an interview at the 18th Kurdish Conference in the European Parliament. Speaking to MedyaHaber TV reporter Serkan Demirel, she provided several insights on these critical issues.
🔴 Lorena Lopez de Lacalle (@lorenalacalleA), president of the EFA, strongly condemns Turkey's treatment of Abdullah Öcalan and attacks on North and East Syria. In an interview, she calls for respect for human rights and Öcalan's involvement in peace talks:#KurdConfEP | #Turkey… pic.twitter.com/vMhPFB8125
— MedyaNews (@1MedyaNews) December 7, 2023
De Lacalle described the isolation of Öcalan as “an absolute and total denial of respect for international law and human rights”. She stressed that human rights must be respected both outside and inside prison, adding, “This is also a way of punishing his family and the entire Kurdish people”. She opposed the isolation of Öcalan, particularly given his long-standing promotion of democratic confederalism and his search for a democratic path for the Kurds.
Highlighting the necessity of Öcalan’s involvement in peace talks, De Lacalle stated, “Therefore, Öcalan must be involved in all negotiations. If there is to be a peace process, Öcalan must play a role in it.” She added that this was clear “whether Erdoğan wants it or not”.
De Lacalle criticised Turkey’s aggression towards North and East Syria, also known as Rojava, explaining that the region demonstrated a working democratic political system. She condemned the targeting of such a system, which she described as “challenging the autocratic path desired by dictators and creating democracy from the ground up.”
Regarding Europe’s response, De Lacalle condemned the EU’s silence as hypocrisy, linking it to economic deals made to control migration. She criticised these deals for causing Europe to turn a blind eye to Turkey’s human rights violations. “Europe sells its democracy very cheaply”, she asserted, advocating for the right to free movement of people and calling for a more principled European stance on human rights and democracy.
