MP Ömer Öcalan, of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, spoke with journalist Gülcan Dereli about his recent family visit to his uncle, imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, at Turkey’s high-security İmralı prison island on 31 March.
The visit was preceded by a brief meeting on 23 October, the first face-to-face contact after a 43-month period of total incommunicado detention amid repeated and arbitrary visitation bans on family and legal visits, and the first time Ömer had ever met his uncle.
During the interview, Ömer Öcalan stated that meeting his relative Abdullah Öcalan in person for the first time was deeply meaningful to him. He described it as one of his lifelong goals, not only because of their family connection but also due to Abdullah Öcalan’s significance as a highly influential political thinker and leader.
Ömer Öcalan highlighted the significance of Abdullah Öcalan’s political paradigm for the Kurdish population and the broader Middle East. He stated that it offers a framework for peaceful coexistence among the region’s diverse communities and presents a long-term vision with relevance for the coming century:
"Ethnic and religious distinctions are made, people are categorised because of their identities and beliefs. Mr Öcalan leaves these approaches aside. He presents a new world system, a new governance system. In other words, how can an Alevi live with a Sunni, how can an Assyrian live with an Armenian, how can an Armenian live with a Muslim, how can a Kurd live with a Turk, how can an Arab and a Persian live together humanely?"
Ömer Öcalan stated that the core message he took from the meeting was the importance of grassroots political organisation and collective engagement. He quoted Abdullah Öcalan as saying, “Socialism means a sense of community, and a sense of community means walking with the people and working with the people.”
Journalist Gülcan Dereli first published a narrated coverage of his interview with Ömer Öcalan in Özgür Politika on 6 April. Please find the full Medya News translation below:
By Gülcan Dereli
Ömer Öcalan’s first words were to extend Abdullah Öcalan’s many greetings to the people, quoting him as saying, “Convey my greetings wherever you go.” He insisted that this was a family visit, stressing that it should not be seen as political, and that it is the right of every prisoner, should be allowed on a regular basis, and should not be prevented for political reasons.
“It took place on 31 March, as a family visit. It was the second day of the holiday,” says Ömer Öcalan. Of Abdullah Öcalan’s birthday he said: “Of course, the Kurdish people do not see 4 April only as Mr Öcalan’s birthday. The people see it as their own birthday. His birthday has been celebrated here many times on 4 April. People make a statement of will. Tens of thousands of people have come here to visit from the big cities of Turkey and Kurdistan. People do not see it as just a normal, classic birthday. This is a statement of will. This is standing up for a thought, an idea. This is how we evaluate it.
A memory with Cemil Bayık…
“At the last meeting in İmralı – it was a family visit – my father [Mehmet Öcalan] was relating a memory from about 50 years ago, and the leader [Abdullah Öcalan] also contributed. It will be meaningful and valuable to relate this here on the occasion of 4 April. My father reminded the leader of a memory from 1976-77, saying:
“‘You and Cemil Bayık came home. My mother had cooked for you. While we were eating, my father came in and stuck his head through the door and said, ‘Son, you were fighting for communism and socialism. Now you are saying that you have embarked on a path for Kurdishness and Kurdistan. The struggle for communism is lighter than the struggle for Kurdishness and Kurdistan. The struggle for Kurdishness and Kurdistan is heavier than the struggle for communism. You will be very worn down by this.’
“At that moment the leader intervened. He said, “I remember, my father said something like this: ‘You have entered the Kurdish cause, Sheikh Said went down that route too, and Sheikh Said paid a great price. He had a tribe, a family, and a circle [of influential people]. You have no-one, you don’t even have a tribe, you will have a hard time in this cause.’
“Since that time, there is the fact of [the numbers of] people that has now reached millions. It would be appropriate to evaluate this political struggle of over 52 years as the rebirth of a people who see themselves in Mr Öcalan. Mr Öcalan is 76 years old. [His is] a life spent in resistance and struggle. [He is] a child of a poor people. He left here and started with his friends, most of whom came from the people, either from the village or from the city, the group acted together and where it started with six people, now it has reached a position where there are millions, it affects the four parts of Kurdistan, it has a dominant effect on the politics of the Middle East, and it speaks to the world.
“Of course, his call of 27 February saw positive statements about the [peace] process from the United Nations, America, Europe, Russia and China. They said they supported it. We evaluate it as a birth that has come from having no-one to reaching millions, a birth of a people. Those who had no-one have now become millions. It offers a perspective on the Middle East. It offers a model for the Middle East. Such things were discussed.”
My biggest goal was to see him
It was Ömer Öcalan’s second face-to-face meeting with his uncle Abdullah Öcalan. I asked him how he felt: “I went to the first meeting on 23 October. It was the first time I had seen Mr Öcalan there. Maybe it was an aspect of my life that I was missing, in the political struggle, in my social life. Seeing Mr Öcalan was one of my biggest goals. That deficiency was partially remedied. On 23 October 2024, I saw Mr Öcalan there physically for the first time, and we have already explained the details of that meeting many times. The uncle figure is an important position, but that is not really what we here. After all, you have a family bond with a leader who affects the world, affects the environment, has influence in many places, and has great qualities, but you have never seen him in your life. The significance of this is huge.”
There should be regular family visits
I asked Ömer Öcalan about Abdullah Öcalan’s opportunities for following developments. He said: “Mr Öcalan watches some Turkish channels, what is available to him. He reads and evaluates some things from there. Our visit lasted about an hour and a half. It was a family visit. Even though it was a family visit, many things were discussed. Because you are meeting with Mr Öcalan. Family visits are important. We want the law regarding family to be protected. The rights of Mr Öcalan and those of Hamili Yıldırım, Veysi Aktaş and Ömer Hayri Konar, who are [imprisoned] with him, should be protected just as they must be for everyone [else] in Turkey’s laws, regulations, constitution and execution of sentences. Lawyers are already being restricted. They have been prevented visits for years. We want the resumption of the 15-day family visit, which is in the legal legislation, on holidays at least.”
He has a desk in İmralı
I asked Ömer Öcalan about Abdullah Öcalan’s political assessments. He explained: “The paradigm that Mr Öcalan has put forward, the systematic thought that he has put forward has a perspective that can last a century. Everyone needs to look from this perspective. Of course, in politics in the Middle East and Turkey, unfortunately, there is a policy that is carried out based on difference. Ethnic and religious distinctions are made, people are categorised because of their identities and beliefs. Mr Öcalan leaves these approaches aside. He presents a new world system, a new governance system. In other words, how can an Alevi live with a Sunni, how can an Assyrian live with an Armenian, how can an Armenian live with a Muslim, how can a Kurd live with a Turk, how can an Arab and a Persian live together humanely? He presents the paradigm of this.
“It takes some talent, ability, virtue and insight to build all these differences and riches together in such a way that they all respect each other and respect each other’s rights. Mr Öcalan writes the formula for all of this. The state, the government and the authorities should also approach it seriously. It is important to produce solutions, build peace and develop relationships. And we see that he has a desk in Imrali. We saw with our own eyes that he is in a position where he takes a stance when necessary, and when necessary he is extremely flexible and does his best to ensure that the sensitivity of the process continues. He has analysed the reality of the Middle East. He is closely following the developments in Syria, Iraq and Iran. He is following all of this in detail.”
He mentioned his childhood friends
Ömer Öcalan reported that Abdullah Öcalan mentioned both nearby villages and his childhood friends, sending personal greetings to some of them. Ömer Öcalan said: “Mr Öcalan is a leader who values spirituality. He mentioned his school friends and his friends in his village from years ago. He said hello to many of his [other] friends. Cibin village is a Turkmen village, it is the village where Mr Öcalan attended primary school for five years. The leader had seven or eight friends who lost their lives in clashes in the countryside in that village. He mentioned them, their families. He mentioned the Sarıçiçeks, the Kumbağs, the Atmacas. He spoke about our neighbouring villages Erah, Aram, Hilvan, Mardin, he somehow conveyed these memories to us. He had some greetings, we conveyed these greetings to the relevant friends or to people who could forward them.”
Message to democratic politics
Ömer Öcalan emphasised that Abdullah Öcalan also has important messages for democratic politics. He said: “On the one hand, he is emotionally strong, but analytically, he is extremely knowledgeable about the process and follows the agenda. At this point, the state mechanism needs to approach this process with this seriousness. It is easy to disrupt and destroy, but difficult to establish. The leader said: ‘Socialist means a sense of community, a sense of community means walking with the people and working with the people. This needs to be established. There is no room for a vacuum in politics.’ I hope that in the future, the peace that this region has been longing for for years will be built. We will build it by all living together. We will build a democratic life, a democratic society. This is a difficult, troublesome path. Maybe it will take a long time. At this point, we will also contribute as far as our strength allows.”
The people are right to have doubts…
Ömer Öcalan said Abdullah Öcalan responded to the doubts people have about the process: “We said this to him: ‘It is clear that the belief of the Kurdish people in you runs very deep, but they have some doubts. These doubts do not originate from you. These doubts stem from the experiences in the 2015 peace process, the experiences in 2009, the experiences in 1993, and people have doubts about the state and the government.’ He replied, ‘The people are right, that’s right, they think right, this is the situation, but I keep up hope. I will do my utmost to make this process work.”
You need to organise!
Ömer Öcalan finally stressed that Abdullah Öcalan emphasised the need to organise: “The leader; ‘I am one who organises people everywhere I go. I have been organising people since my childhood. When I was a child, I had a prayer group, when I was going to school, I had a friend group.’ He said he attaches great importance to organisation. He said that wherever he is, he has his own circle, he works and organises, and he organises.”
