One hundred figures from the Middle East have called on the Turkish Ministry of Justice to allow them to meet with Leader Abdullah Ocalan believing that such a meeting could constitute a constructive step toward breaking the current stalemate and opening new channels of communication that would contribute to formulating sustainable solutions to outstanding issues
One hundred academic, political, tribal, and journalistic figures signed a petition to join the “I Want to Meet Abdullah Ocalan” campaign. The petition was addressed to the Turkish Ministry of Justice.
The petition stated:
“I also want to meet Mr. Ocalan
The peace initiative launched by Mr. Ocalan on February 27, 2025, expresses the realistic and logical will of his ideology, which established the meaning of freedom and the principle of peace. It laid the solid foundation for preserving world peace, with the goal of making the Middle East free of war, destruction, and extremist ideology.
The “Peace and Democratic Society” call and initiative expressed the principles of humanity, free thought, and a democratic society. This affirms that political action is not the property of a particular society, nationality, party, or any other ideology. Rather, it is a thought and approach that symbolizes democracy, freedom, and peace in the region as a whole.
Mr. Ocalan, even before his national and political affiliation, belongs to a noble and advanced humanitarian system that established a new concept in international conflicts and worked to find solutions to the issues of peoples and societies by building a democratic society far removed from war and the militarization of society.
We believe that Mr. Ocalan’s call and initiative have paved the way for a peaceful and democratic solution to the Kurdish issue and the region’s problems. This great humanitarian work by Mr. Ocalan reflects the identity of a civilized society. Therefore, I, too, desire to meet with Mr. Ocalan and stand in solidarity with him in resolving the region’s issues and problems through peaceful means. We are confident that this path is the beginning of a new journey to build a democratic society.
Our desire to meet with Mr. Ocalan stems from our belief in the importance of dialogue and communication to resolve conflicts and achieve lasting peace. We have followed with interest the peace initiative and call launched by Mr. Ocalan, and they certainly reflect a positive vision toward ending violence and building bridges of understanding among the peoples of the region as a whole.
In line with our responsibility to support peace efforts and promote democratic dialogue, we hereby declare and demand that the Turkish Ministry of Justice allow us to meet with Mr. Ocalan. We believe that this meeting will represent a constructive step toward breaking the current stalemate and opening new channels of communication that may contribute to formulat sustainable solutions for outstanding issues.
Achieving peace requires the courage of the concerned parties to engage in frank and constructive dialogue and remove the barriers that impede progress. We call on the Turkish government to respond to our humanitarian and political call and allow us to hold this meeting, which we hope will play a positive role in advancing peace.
Signatories:
1. Rahim Abu Raghif – Thinker – Iraq
2. Ali Mahdi – Vice President of the Baghdad Center for Legal and Economic Development – Iraq
3. PH. Dina Al-Taie – Politician, Media Personality, Member of the Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party – Iraq
4. Dr. Farah Saber – University Professor, Writer – Iraq
5. Shamsa Najjar – Politician, Yazidi Rights Activist – Iraq
6. Raja Hamid – Journalist, Writer – Iraq
7. Dr. Maha Al-Sakban – Head of the Center for Women’s Human Rights – Iraq
8. Dr. Muslim Al-Mayali – Karbala, Iraq
9. Rami Al-Hamdani – Journalist – Iraq
10. Mohammed Al-Salihi – Journalist – Iraq
11. Subhi Al-Badri – Publisher and Politician – Iraq
12. Mohammed Abdul-Jabbar – Lawyer – Iraq
13. Alaa Al-Qaisi – Doctor – Iraq
14. Zeina Subhi – Lawyer – Iraq
15. Talib Abu Azm – Journalist – Iraq
16. Sabah Yassin – Journalist – Iraq
17. Aqeel Khayoun Saddam – Tribal Leader – Iraq
18. Hamza Muslim – Tribal Leader – Iraq
19. Maryam Al-Shammari – Doctor – Iraq
20. Ibrahim Dulaimi – Doctor – Iraq
21. Jabbar Ahmed – Tribal Sheikh – Iraq
22. Munim Jassim – Journalist – Iraq
23. Asaad Al-Abbadi – Political Activist – Iraq
24. Sawsan Shoman – Master’s Degree in Law – Human Rights Activist – Lebanon
25. Khadija Al-Husseini – Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, Lebanese Women’s Rights Committee
26. Afaf Ghattasha – Chairwoman of the Union of Palestinian Working Women’s Committees – Palestine
27. Kifah Afifi – Freed Prisoner and Social Activist (Refugee Dreams Association) – Palestine
28. Dr. Hiba Issa Haddadin – Feminist Activist – Director of the Gender Studies Foundation – Jordan
29. Dr. Hudami Mahjoub Al-Gharbi – University Professor and Journalist – Tunisia
30. Salwa Guika – Human Rights Activist, African Union Women and Peace Committee – Tunisia
31. Bahiya Al-Saqqaf – Human Rights Activist – Yemen.
32. Dr. Angela Sultan Abdel Aziz – Center for Strategic Studies to Support Women and Children – Yemen.
33. Amna Ali Bint Al-Mukhtar – Human Rights Activist, Feminist Activist – Mauritania
34. Hanan Omar Mohammed – Lawyer, Feminist Activist (Director of a Feminist Association) – Somalia
35. Elhamy El-Meligy, Writer, Media Personality, Politician, and Coordinator of the Arab Initiative – Egypt
36. Ahmed Bahaa El-Din Shaaban, Head of the Egyptian Socialist Party
37. MP Sayed Abdel Aal, Head of the National Rally Party and Member of the Egyptian Senate
38. Salah Adly, Secretary-General of the Egyptian Communist Party
39. Bassam Kamel, Secretary-General of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party
40. Ambassador Sherif Shahin, Former Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt
41. MP Atef Maghawry, Member of the Egyptian Parliament and Vice President of the Tagammu Party
42. Ali Saeed, Member of the Political Bureau of the Sudanese Communist Party
43. Elhamy El-Mirghani, Vice President of the Popular Socialist Alliance Party – Egypt
44. Hani Madi, Leader of the Arab Democratic Nasserist Party – Egypt
45. Shaimaa El-Shawarby, Head of the Women’s Union of the Egyptian Liberal Party
46. Mohamed Alloush, Palestinian Poet and Writer
47. Dr. Ali Shushan, Member of the Political Bureau of the Egyptian Communist Party
48. Farnaz Attia, PhD in Political Science – Egypt
49. Prof. Dr. Mohamed Refaat El-Imam, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History, Former Dean of Damanhour University – Egypt
50. Fathi Mahmoud, Head of the Aton Center for Studies – Egypt
51. Dr. Taha Ali, Political Researcher in Middle Eastern Affairs and Identity Politics – Egypt
52. Abdul Rahman Rabou, Writer and Journalist – Syria
53. Masoud Al-Hassan, Member of the Central Committee of the Sudanese Communist Party
54. Dr. Sahar Hassan, PhD in Modern and Contemporary History – Egypt
55. Hassan Badie, Writer and Journalist – Egypt
56. Essam Kamel, Editor-in-Chief of the Egyptian Veto Newspaper and Website
57. Dr. Medhat Hammad, Head of the Al-Farabi Center for Political Studies – Egypt
58. Amal Al-Kurdi, Jordanian Writer and Researcher
59. Dr. Hosni Ahmed Mustafa, Social Researcher – Egypt
60. Dr. Nabil Rashwan, Doctor of Geology and Egyptian Politician
61. Mustafa Habash, writer and journalist from the Tigray region of Ethiopia
62. Lobna Ben Abdullah, Tunisian civil society activist
63. Dr. Ahmed Ragab, Member of the Arab Lawyers Union – Egypt
64. Counselor Alaa Ali Zein El Abidine Salama, Former Chief Justice and Current International Lawyer – Egypt
65. Ali Naji, Iraqi Writer and Journalist
66. Khalil Qadi, Lebanese Writer and Journalist
67. Sherif Abdel Hamid, Head of the Gulf Center for Iranian Studies – Egypt
68. Dr. Ibrahim Ali Marjouna, Professor of History and Islamic Civilization at Damanhour University – Egypt
69. Faten Sobhi, Journalist – Egypt
70. Saad Mahyou, Lebanese Thinker and Writer and Director of the Regional Integration Forum – Lebanon
71. Magdy Bohanna Hatna, Head of the Initiative for Construction and Development and Libyan Human Rights Activist
72. Mamoun El Nubi, Civil Activist from Sudan
73. Mohamed Salem, Political Researcher at the Aton Center for Studies – Egypt
74. Rami Zohdi, Politician and Researcher on International Affairs and the Middle East – Egypt
75. Firas Eid Younes, Syrian politician and writer
76. Ayman Al-Raqab, Professor of Political Science at Al-Quds University
77. Othman Baraka, politician from the National Current of Engineer Saif al-Islam Gaddafi
78. Dr. Ali Thabet, researcher, academic, and editor-in-chief of the Armenian magazine Arik – Egypt
79. Sayed Abu Al-Yazid, writer, journalist, and editor-in-chief of Al-Gomhuria newspaper – Egypt
80. Dr. Mahmoud Zayed, professor at Al-Azhar University, specializing in Kurdish affairs – Egypt
81. Mounir Adeeb, Researcher Specializing in Extremist Movements and International Terrorism – Egypt
82. Dr. Soni Al-Ashqar, Lebanese Writer, Media Personality, and Novelist
83. Dr. Raed Al-Masry, Lecturer in Political Thought and International Relations – Egypt
84. Dr. Azza Mahmoud, PhD in Historical Documentation, Political Researcher, and Poet – Egypt
85. Sayed Hussein, Writer and Journalist – Egypt
86. Dr. Ali Abu Al-Khair, PhD in Islamic History and Civilization – Egypt
87. Dr. Raeda Al-Dhabhani, International Lawyer and Ambassador of Peace and Humanity from Yemen
88. Film Director Ali Badrakhan – Egypt
89. Ibtihal Adnan Reda – Iraqi Journalist and Author
90. Maab Amer Farouk – Short Story Writer and Civil Activist – Iraq
91. Yusra Ahmed Majeed – Journalist and Civil Activist – Iraq
92. Ashwaq Aziz Kazim – Politician (Women’s Empowerment Member) – Iraq
93. Subhi Merisin Al-Badri – Political Activist and Writer – Iraq
94. Mohammed Salem Gharib – Arabic Language Doctor – Iraq
95. Sami Saad Mayouf – Educator and Social Activist – Iraq
96. Mohammed Safaa Hussein – Lawyer – Iraq
97. Muntadhar Hussein Hamza – Lawyer – Iraq
98. Faisal Hawai Farwan – Administrator and Civil Activist – Iraq
99. Khader Mahmoud Sultan – Doctor – Iraq
100. Ahmed Ezz El-Din – Political activist – Iraq”
