In Strasbourg, a rally was held in front of the Council of Europe building by the Preparatory Committee of the Kurdish People’s Assembly, demanding the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan and the implementation of the “Right to Hope” in his case. The event saw a large turnout of Kurds and their friends, who carried banners in different languages and photos of the Kurdish leader. The crowd frequently chanted slogans demanding Öcalan’s freedom.
The rally, which took place ahead of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers’ session on September 15-17, began with an opening speech by the organizing committee. This was followed by speeches from Zübeyde Zümrüt and Engin Sever, Co-Chairs of the Congress of Kurdish Communities in Europe (KCDK-E).
Zübeyde Zümrüt highlighted the European Court of Human Rights’ 2014 ruling on the “right to hope” and the deadline given to Turkey by the Council of Europe last year, emphasizing that the failure to implement these rulings was a political choice. Stating that the Council of Europe should not legitimize lawlessness, Zümrüt said they were waiting for concrete steps to be taken for the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan.
Engin Sever stated that Turkey had not used the time allotted to it and that European states had not spoken out enough, saying, “Leader Öcalan’s freedom is a red line for the Kurdish people.”
Speaking on behalf of the Kurdish Women’s Movement in Europe (TJK-E), Ayten Kaplan stated that Öcalan is the main interlocutor of the peace process and called for Turkey to make legal reforms and release political prisoners.
“Rights are granted to everyone, so why not to the Kurds? This question must be answered,” she underlined.
Ömer Güneş, one of Öcalan’s lawyers, stressed that the Council of Europe is responsible for ensuring the implementation of the ECtHR’s “right to hope” ruling. Referring to the example of Azerbaijan, Güneş stated that Turkey should also be subject to the same sanctions.
Other speakers included Sinan Ongan on behalf of the “Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, Political Solution to the Kurdish Question” initiative, Ercan Jan Aktaş on behalf of the European Peace and Freedom Forum, and Zülfü Sever, one of the coordinators of the 14-year-long sit-in protest in front of the Council of Europe.
Following artist Kawa Urmiye’s musical performance, the rally ended with slogans.
After the rally, a four-day sit-in was launched with the participation of Kurds and their friends, which will continue until September 19.
Source: ANF News
