The Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC) has passed a motion calling for the Turkish government to release Abdullah Öcalan and to end its “oppression and imprisonment of Kurdish political and cultural organisations and individuals”, during their Annual Congress in Dundee on 17 April.
“This Congress notes that the Kurdish question in Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey is one of the major unresolved problems of the Middle East,” the STUC said.
Highlighting that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader has been imprisoned since 1999, the Congress “reiterates its view that [Öcalan’s] release is essential to starting a political dialogue to resolve the ongoing issue of Kurdish self determination”.
The Congress expressed its disapproval over the Scottish First Minister inviting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to visit Scotland. “President Erdogan’s government has continued the war on the Kurds, refused to hold peace talks, sanctioned the use of violence and legal action against political opposition and attacked independent media/journalists,” they said.
The January invitation extended by First Minister Humza Yousaf to Erdoğan had previously ignited tensions in the political scene of the United Kingdom, leading to widespread criticism. Amidst the escalating controversy, Yousaf asserted that if Erdoğan accepted the invitation, he would not shy away from raising “human rights issues”.
The Trade Union also made demands of the UK government, calling for arms sales to Turkey to be halted. They also asked for the UK to put pressure on Turkey to stop “the bombing of Kurds in North and East Syria and Iraq”, and to pressure Turkey to release Öcalan.
This is not the first time the organisation has voiced their support for Kurds. In 2022, the STUC passed a motion condemning the Turkish military operations in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, continuing their support of the democratic objectives of the PKK and maintaining strong links to trade unionists in Turkey.
In February 2024, Matt Broomfield spoke to the STUC President Mike Arnott in an exclusive interview with Medya News about the long history of internationalism in the UK’s trade union movement, the union’s support for Öcalan, and how the Kurdish leader’s vision could transform the Middle East.
Mike Arnott again spoke to Medya News after their Annual Congress for 2024. Speaking with Erem Kansoy, Arnott reaffirmed that “these are the demands of over half a million Scottish workers and that we want a settlement in Turkey and the recognition of the rights of the Kurdish people and the release of Öcalan”.
