Ten groups in Germany have organised a campaign called “It is time for Abdullah Öcalan’s freedom and a just peace in Turkey”.
With support from the South Africa Kurdish Working Group (KHRAG) and South African Trade Unions Confederation (COSATU), the campaign seeks to end the isolation of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan.
As activists around the world continue to rally support for the freedom of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, the Alliance Creative Community Project (ACCP) from Ghana has announced its participation in the campaign.
Support also came from Finland, with the Finnish Leftist Youth Movement joining the campaign. The group’s Secretary General, Henrik Jaakola, sent a letter to the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres calling on the United Nations (UN) and the UN Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CAT), to secure the freedom of PKK Leader Öcalan.
The letter referenced the apartheid regime in South Africa and argued that the Nelson Mandela Rules regarding the treatment of prisoners should be applied to Öcalan.
The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) reported in August 2020 the ongoing violations of rights in Imralı High Security Prison and called for urgent action.
The campaign includes the following organisations:
Die Linke – Stuttgart
Azadî Association – Association for Legal Aid for Kurds in Germany – Cologne, Germany
Tamil Eelam Community Council – Germany
Ya-Basta-Netzwerk – Nationwide network for solidarity with the Zapatistas
Ventana Al Sur – Latin America Congress – Germany
Socialist Democratic Students Union (SDS) Tübingen
Leftist Youth Solidarity München – Linksjugend Solid München
Leftist Youth Solidarity Bremen – Linksjugend Bremen
Socialist Youth Bonn in Germany – Die Falken Bonn