Seydi Fırat said that Abdullah Öcalan’s freedom is essential for a peaceful and democratic resolution of the Kurdish question.
The deadline given to Turkey by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers to implement the “right to hope” ruling will expire in September 2025. Because of this, democratic Kurdish institutions in Europe and their allies will launch a series of actions in Strasbourg starting on September 15.
Kurdish politician Seydi Fırat spoke to ANF and said that Turkey has not fulfilled its international obligations and that the isolation continues, stressing that for the Kurdish and democratic public opinion, the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan has now become an unavoidable process.
Fırat also underlined Turkey’s obligations arising from the international conventions it has signed and said: “Because Turkey has signed international conventions, it is obliged to implement this right. Implementing this right is a fundamental duty for Turkey. But now Turkey is avoiding it. What does this avoidance mean? In essence, it means moving toward lawlessness, disregarding the international conventions it has signed. This approach is not right.”
The Council must take a stronger stance
Seydi Fırat stated that despite the Council of Europe giving Turkey a deadline, no concrete step has yet been taken, stressing that a clearer and stronger stance must be adopted against Turkey.
Fırat said that the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan is one of the fundamental principles for the peaceful and democratic resolution of the Kurdish question and at the same time a measure of the state’s sincerity. He added that it is not enough to lift the isolation, but that Abdullah Öcalan must be allowed to act as a free person.
Fırat referred to the series of demonstrations that will begin on September 15 in front of the Council of Europe building and noted that the vigils, which have been held weekly in Strasbourg for more than a decade, will this time be strengthened by mass participation. Fırat highlighted the importance of participation from many cities across Europe and made the following call: “The stronger the participation, the clearer Europe’s stance toward Turkey will become. In this critical period, the actions of our people, the revolutionary democratic forces, civil society organizations, and intellectuals are of great value.
