A message from imprisoned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan, relayed by his nephew, pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party MP Ömer Öcalan, has reignited calls for a peaceful resolution to the Turkish-Kurdish conflict. The family visit comes after 43 months of incommunicado detention and has sparked reactions from politicians around the world.
In his message, Abdullah Öcalan stated that “The isolation continues. If the conditions are right, I have the theoretical and practical power to move this process from the grounds of conflict and violence to the legal and political grounds,” signalling his willingness to play an active role in resolving the Kurdish question through non-violent means.
Swiss Federal Parliament Member Laurence Fehlmann Rielle has reacted to the latest message from imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, highlighting Öcalan’s significant influence in peace negotiations in Turkey and asserting that more meetings, especially with his lawyers, should follow the initial family visit.
In an interview with Serkan Demirel, Swiss MP Fehlmann Rielle explained that the family visit took place during a time of a “tense current situation in the world”, which she noted could be a “source of instability for Turkey”.
Acknowledging that this family visit was an important step, she remained cautious, emphasising that “we’ll have to see if there’s a follow-up to these initial meetings and if anything positive can come out of them.”
Commenting on ongoing Turkish military attacks against the Kurdish population, she said that these attacks, “carried out to intimidate the Kurdish population,” have become a dead end for President Erdoğan’s policies. She suggested that this situation may prompt Erdoğan to seek “a little more informed advice” from Öcalan.
“We know that Turkey is carrying out military incursions into both Syria and Iraq,” Fehlmann Rielle continued, adding that the Turkish-Kurdish conflict has “lasted too long and benefits neither the Turkish nor the Kurdish people.”
She also highlighted the ongoing peace efforts of the Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria (AANES), whose representatives are “trying to build a more balanced and egalitarian society” and, despite continued Turkish attacks, are “establishing peaceful zones and not arming the conflict.”
“Protesting for Öcalan means protesting in favour of autonomy for the Kurdish people,” the Swiss MP emphasised, calling on the Kurdish diaspora and international supporters in Europe to continue the campaign for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan.
