The final declaration of a conference in Rome has called on European countries to apply political pressure to Turkey to encourage it to engage in a lasting peace process with the Kurds. The declaration stressed that the release of imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan is a necessary condition for a peaceful resolution to the Kurdish question in Turkey. Emphasising Öcalan’s crucial role in potential peace negotiations, the conference also proposed nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan – A Political Solution to the Kurdish Question international conference was held in Rome on 11–12 April, with 360 delegates attending from across Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia. The event formed part of the broader campaign, originally launched in 2016 and relaunched on 10 October 2023 under the same title.
Reading the final declaration, Italian lawyer Michela Arricale said the conference welcomed and supported the Call for Peace and a Democratic Society issued by Abdullah Öcalan on 27 February, as well as the subsequent ceasefire announced by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on 1 March. These developments were described as “a further commitment of the Kurdish side to peace”.
“However, the conference participants view the Turkish government’s continued refusal to respond to Öcalan’s call and the PKK’s unilateral ceasefire as a cause for serious concern,” the declaration stated. It also highlighted that recent waves of arrests targeting mayors, journalists and lawyers in Turkey have fuelled deep mistrust in official statements regarding a potential peace process.
The declaration outlined a series of proposals aimed at resolving the Kurdish question, including expanding international initiatives to grant honorary citizenship to Abdullah Öcalan, as has already been done in several Italian cities.
It further noted that over the past two years, the Freedom for Öcalan campaign has reached a wide global audience. Events have applied pressure on international institutions such as the Council of Europe, its Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) and the Turkish government.
The final declaration also called for a Global Day of Action on 1 September – World Peace Day – led by trade unions and wider social movements in capital cities across the world.
These activities, carried out as part of the campaign, have helped to spread Öcalan’s paradigm of democratic confederalism – rooted in women’s liberation, ecological awareness and grassroots democracy – which the declaration described as “a source of inspiration for societies around the world”.
It concluded by reaffirming that Abdullah Öcalan’s freedom is essential for a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question in Turkey. Such a breakthrough, it said, could “lead to the democratisation of Turkey” and “encourage parallel positive changes in Syria, Rojava, Iraq, South Kurdistan and the entire Middle East”.
