Kurdistan National Congress (KNK), in representation of Kurdish organisations across Europe, labelled Turkey’s isolation of Abdullah Öcalan, imprisoned leader of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), as a blatant disregard for international law and a form of collective punishment against Kurds, in a statement issued on Monday.
The KNK’s statement coincides with the third anniversary of Öcalan’s forced entry into absolute isolation, incommunicado since last contact on 25 March 2021.
The congress defined Turkey’s policy of isolation on Öcalan as a form of torture and a collective punishment of the Kurdish people. Öcalan, a pivotal figure in the Kurdish liberation movement, has been held under severe conditions that the KNK argues aim to silence the Kurdish voice for self-determination and remind the minority group of their status as an “occupied internal colony” within Turkey.
The KNK asserted that Turkey’s treatment of Öcalan not only violates his rights but also impedes the potential for resolving the Kurdish issue and the broader socio-political crises within Turkey.
“Ending Mr. Öcalan’s isolation and restoring dialogue with him is the only solution to the Kurdish question and can lead to repairing the Turkish state,” the KNK said.
Furthermore, the KNK criticised the silence of the international community on Turkey’s treatment of Öcalan, particularly bodies like the United Nations and the Council of Europe, viewing inaction as complicity. The council urged these organisations to hold Turkey accountable and to support the “Freedom for Öcalan, A political solution to the Kurdish question” campaign, advocating for Öcalan’s immediate right to family and legal representation as a critical step towards peace.
