Kurdish politicans Saliha Aydeniz and Remziye Tosun shared their evaluations with Jin News regarding the 22nd anniversary of the 15 February, which marks the day when the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan was arrested in 1999.
Abdullah Öcalan was abducted on 15 February 1999 by members of the Turkish security forces in an aircraft in the international area of Nairobi airport and then transfered and imprisoned on Imralı Hgih Security Prison on Imralı Island in the Sea of Marmara.
Remziye Tosun, Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (HDP) MP for Diyarbakır (Amed) stated that the primary demand of the Kurdish people is breaking the isolation on Imralı whilst the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chair Saliha Aydeniz stressed the importance of the development of the struggle against the isolation imposed on Abdullah Öcalan.
‘Freedom is not far. This year will be crowned with freedom, Aydeniz said.
Aydemir: Global plot foiled by the women
“The aim of the global plot was to destroy the women’s struggle for freedom,” said Aydemir, referring to the 15 February as a ‘global plot’ against Abdullah Öcalan and Kurdish freedom struggle. “However, they failed. The conspiracy was broken by the protests of women. “Continuously women are raising our voices and taking a stand in all parts of their lives inspired by Abdullah Ocalan’s ideas of women’s liberation.”
Abdullah Öcalan paved the way for democratisation and freedom and has created the sparks of hope for peace that will be possible once dialogue with Abdullah Öcalan is initiated again, according to Aydeniz. “The voices of many peoples around the world to adopt democratic modernity in their societies rise against the silence of many international organisations, which continues to ignore the isolation. Hunger strikes and various protests continue as well,” she said.
‘Freedom of Abdullah Öcalan is a global demand’
Aydemir believes that 2021 would be the last year of isolation on Imralı. “With a united struggle the Imralı system will be destroyed this year. 2021 will mark the year of Kurds and women,” the DBP Co-Chair said, “The struggle against the isolation has reached an international level. This is a global demand now, people around the world demand the isolation be lifted.”
Aydemir noted that a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question would only be possible in Turkey if Abdullah Öcalan is completely free. “People around the world know that unless the doors of Imralı are not opened, the persecution, tyranny and torture of Kurds will continue. Öcalan’s imprisonment enters its 23rd year and the isolation is getting worse day by day, ” she said.
Remziye Tosun: Spaces of the peoples are shrinking
Remziye Tosun stressed the link between the isolation policy of the Turkish state on Imrali Island with the general antidemocratic repressive policies that people of Turkey have been struggling against.
“As the isolation gets heavier, the spaces of freedom of the peoples are shrinking. If the isolation is not broken on Imralı, the pressure and persecution will increase day by day,” she said.
Tosun referred to the attacks against democratic rights at Boğaziçi University and referred to the ongoing protests.
“Trustees have been appointed to municipalities, women’s institutions and now to the universities. The students and academics do not want a trustee rector to be appointed to their universities and they are now isolated in their campus. This is a form of isolation as well,” she said.
Finally referring to the ongoing hunger strikeres against the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan the HDP MP said, “Their only demand is that the isolation of Öcalan be lifted. We will continue our struggle on this basis. We wish 2021 to be the year of freedom of Öcalan.”
