MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

 Amed-No news has been received from Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan in Imrali prison for 32 months. Two separate declarations calling for his physical freedom and a democratic solution to the Kurdish question were released in Istanbul and Amed (Diyarbakır) at the weekend. The declarations signed by politicians, journalists, intellectuals and artists pointed to the crisis suffered by the Middle East and Turkey. In an interview with NuJINHA, Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-chair Saliha Aydeniz commented on the declarations.

 ‘The role undertaken by Mr. Öcalan gives hope to the people’

Speaking about the project aiming to democratize the Middle East, Saliha Aydeniz said that Turkey aims to prevent the democratization of the Middle East with the support of international powers. “In the declarations, we drew attention to this solution proposal and emphasized that Mr. Abdullah Öcalan must be free for this concrete proposal to be implemented. The role undertaken by Mr. Öcalan gives hope not only to the Kurdish people but also to people all around the world. Today, intellectuals and writers in many parts of the world announce that they oppose the isolation imposed on Mr.Öcalan and start a campaign to ensure his physical freedom. We express our support to the campaign by releasing a declaration signed by hundreds.”

Democratic solution for crises

Speaking about the attempts to build peace from 1923 to 2015, Saliha Aydeniz said, “The Kurdish question has not been resolved because the Republic of Turkey is not a democratic republic. More democratic methods should be followed in order to find a democratic solution to the crises in this system before they deepen. Mr. Öcalan is the main interlocutor, who can take initiative and produce a solution. During the peace process, Mr. Abdullah Öcalan showed that the Kurdish question could be resolved through democratic means. The system has been responding to this solution proposal by imposing an aggravated isolation on him in Imrali since 2015.”

‘The gains of the Kurdish people are targeted’

Saliha Aydeniz added, “Today, the Middle East suffers from conflicts and crises. Years ago, Mr. Öcalan pointed to the conflicts and wars suffered by the Middle East and proposed solutions to end conflicts and wars in the Middle East. However, an isolation is imposed on him and the gains of the Kurdish people are targeted by the Turkish state. The silence against the war crimes committed in Bashur (Southern Kurdistan), in Rojava and Makhmour, is an attack on the construction of a democratic Middle East.”

‘The paradigm of a democratic nation is the only solution’

In her speech, Saliha Aydeniz highlighted that the isolation imposed on Abdullah Öcalan must end to ensure peace in both the Middle East and Turkey. “We say that building a democratic system is possible. The revolution in Rojava gives hope to the whole world today. All people saw that this system is not a utopia after the revolution. We believe that the paradigm of a democratic nation developed by Mr. Öcalan is the only solution. In the declaration, we call for the physical freedom of Mr. Öcalan because Mr. Öcalan is a great chance for both the democratization of Turkey and the Middle East.”