Abdullah Öcalan has been imprisoned on İmralı Island in Turkey for over 25 years, and has been held in incommunicado detention for more than 39 months, which means that he has been deprived of the right to family and lawyer visits.
The international campaign ‘Freedom for Öcalan, A Political Solution for Kurdistan’ started on 10 October 2023. Since then, press conferences and different types of actions, such as ‘Öcalan Books Day‘, have been organised in hundreds of places around the world.
One of the spokespeople of the campaign, renowned Kurdish politician Hatîp Dîcle, presented the ‘Dialogue with Öcalan Days’, which will be held from 15 to 22 June in over 50 cities in over 15 countries to invite people to discuss and spread Öcalan’s ideas which focus on womens’ liberation, ecology and grassroot democracy.
In an interview with Kurdish journalist Serkan Demîrel, Dîcle talked about the ideas behind the ‘Dialogue with Öcalan Days’ and explained why Öcalan’s ideas are seen as an alternative to capitalism. Enjoy reading the interview below:
Serkan Demirel: 10 October , the ‘Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, A Political Solution to the Kurdish Question’ campaign began, from 15 to 22 June actions and events will be organised under the name of ‘Dialogue Days with Öcalan’. How did you come up with the idea of organising these events, what is their main purpose and under whose leadership are they being organised?
Hatîp Dîcle: Since 10 October, there has been an ongoing campaign. We continue to discuss questions such as how we can make this campaign more widespread, how we can reflect it more publicly, and our search for this continues. Therefore, the idea of ‘Days of Dialogue with Abdullah Öcalan’ developed in this context. But not only this. The international conspiracy and the systematic isolation imposed in İmralı afterwards were not only directed against Leader Öcalan as a political personality and political representative of the Kurdish people. This isolation was also developed against the role of Öcalan, who is seen as the pioneer and philosopher of democratic socialism of the 21st century. Because Öcalan is developing an alternative theory to capitalism by developing the paradigm of democratic modernity and the sociology of freedom. For this reason, it is no coincidence that he wrote: ‘I am deeply aware that a good anti-capitalist is being tried and judged in my person’. This is also the main reason for the international dimension of the İmralı system and the continued silence of the international community and institutions.
The defences he wrote in İmralı expose the capitalist system and offer alternative solutions to societies. Although the system of imprisonment and isolation aims to keep Öcalan’s ideas away from society, there is a lively “dialogue” between him and activists and intellectuals from various social movements around the world. [All of this] shows that Öcalan’s ideas have long transcended prison walls and that ideas cannot be imprisoned.
The Days of Dialogue, which will take place from 15 to 22 June, aim to demonstrate the impact of Öcalan’s political philosophy. Events and actions will be organised in more than 50 cities on different continents to discuss Öcalan’s ideas. For example, there will be book launches of defence writings, public readings, information stands, artistic actions, theatre, educational seminars and other formats.
So far, events have been planned in Kenya, Colombia, Finland, Finland, Sweden, France, Germany, France, Catalonia, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, Colombia, Cyprus, Belgium, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Slovenia and Poland. Actions and events will also be organised in other countries. They are organised by democratic, socialist, ecological, feminist, solidarity and student groups and Kurdish institutions.
Serkan Demirel: Previously, a series of events had been organised under the name of ‘Öcalan Books days’. Different social groups from many parts of the world who participated in these reading days drew attention to the paradigms of Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan. What do you think Öcalan’s paradigms offer to these groups and why are they being adopted?
Hatîp Dîcle: One dimension of the ‘Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, A Political Solution to the Kurdish Question’ campaign undoubtedly includes an effort to reflect the paradigm of a democratic, ecological society based on women’s freedom to the public outside Kurdistan. For this reason, the ‘Dialogue Days with Öcalan’ can also be defined as a continuation and deepening of the ‘Öcalan Books Day’ held in December 2023. It refers to different movements, circles and intellectuals making Leader Öcalan’s political philosophy the basis of their own practices. Because the crisis of capitalism is present everywhere and is constantly deepening. However, while democratic and socialist forces do not organise the necessary solutions in this period of chaos, right-wing and fascist movements – as we have seen in the recent European Parliament elections – exploit and manipulate the fears of society. Leader Öcalan offers concrete solutions for the socialist forces to overcome the theoretical and practical crisis. In this context, Öcalan draws attention to the need for a radical intellectual, moral and political renewal of the anti-system. There are searches and efforts to popularise the points Leader Öcalan draws attention to. Of course, there are inadequacies, but we are endeavouring to overcome them. Social movements lack a holistic theory that can bring together various struggles. Today, the theory of democratic modernity offers perspectives on fundamental questions to the left, socialist, progressive, democratic, women’s movements, environmental movements and all progressive forces that are in search.
Serkan Demirel: With the Freedom for Öcalan campaign, we see that an international solidarity network is developing. Can this network, which is growing day by day, turn into an international movement?
Hatîp Dîcle: The Kurdistan Freedom Movement, together with Leader Öcalan, the architect of this revolution, is playing a pioneering role in the development of democratic modernity in the international arena with its resistance and construction. With the revolution in Rojava based on the idea of democratic confederalism, an international solidarity movement has emerged. The term solidarity does not fully cover the meaning of this movement, because we are increasingly seeing how different movements around the world are trying to apply Abdullah Öcalan’s ideas and concepts in their own social contexts and struggles.
The discourse of “a ghost is haunting Europe – the ghost of communism”, which used to be uttered in the past, is now showing a dialectical development towards the discourse of “an Apoist [Öcalan is commonly referred as “Apo” within the Kurdish movement] ghost is haunting the world”. The power of influence of this ghost is much greater than its current organised power.
The issue of internationalism is one of the main themes addressed by Leader Öcalan in his defence writings. While he calls the World Economic Forum in Davos ‘the club of the rich’, he calls the left forces that come together in platforms such as the World Social Forums ‘the club of the poor’. However, we can see that these forums are far from grasping and overcoming the chaos of capitalist modernity. Leader Öcalan’s proposal for a World Democratic Confederalism of Peoples offers concrete perspectives on these issues and we can see more and more that this proposal is being adopted as a concrete ground by various forces.
Serkan Demirel: Do you think that these events and the freedom campaign have put pressure on the Turkish state and the authorities who have remained silent on the İmralı isolation?
Hatîp Dîcle: These events are only one aspect of the freedom campaign. They represent an important period for deepening relations with social circles, spreading Öcalan’s ideas against the conditions of isolation and building public opinion about his role. But all this needs to be carried out in parallel with other aspects in order to exert sufficient pressure on political decision-makers. The legal fight against lawlessness is a central dimension here. In addition, diplomatic work must be intensified with broad public engagement.
The goal of the campaign is Öcalan’s physical freedom. For this we need to be constantly active and mobilised. Our friends are very active and that is good. Our people give great importance to and participate in the movement. We need to increase this even more. As a matter of fact, the most recent letters sent to the CPT have called the organisation to duty. Such efforts should be made everywhere and locally. For example, even in every town and township, press organisations, parties, civil society organisations and social movements should be visited and this move should be put on the agenda of these institutions. Every Kurd should work like a diplomat so that we can succeed. Every patriot, every person who is aware of democratic confederalism has something to do. The defence writings must be widely read and given to those who are interested.
