Istanbul- A delegation consisting of 39 people, including academics, politicians and journalists from European countries, arrived in Istanbul on Tuesday to express their support to the process for the resolution of the Kurdish question and share their opinion as part of the “I want to visit Abdullah Öcalan” campaign launched by the European Forum for Freedom and Peace (EFFP).

The delegation held a “Round Table” meeting at a hotel in Istanbul’s Taksim on Wednesday. A banner reading “International meeting for a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question and an end to isolation” was hung in the meeting hall.

The meeting was attended by many people, including Meral Danış Beştaş, Co-Spokesperson of the Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK), Keskin Bayındır, Co-Chair of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), and Sebahat Tuncel of the Free Women's Movement (Kurdish: Tevgera Jinên Azad-TJA).

After the meeting, a joint statement was read by Ferhat Koçak, Member of the German Left Party, in English and by Eulalia Reguant Cura, CUP Catalonia Foreign Affairs Officer, in English.

“We stand in solidarity with the Kurdish people in the face of the systematic repression of their rights and their ongoing exclusion from the democratic process in Turkey,” the statement said. “We call on the Turkish authorities to take concrete steps toward engaging in genuine, constructive dialogue and peace negotiations with all sectors of the Kurdish community. We reiterate our call to all progressive movements, parties and all peoples in Turkey to work towards the success of this process. Only through such engagement, a durable and lasting change can be achieved, paving the way for a truly democratic Turkey.”

‘Mr. Öcalan is one of the strongest voices in the region talking about peace and disarmament’

Throughout this process, Turkey must uphold its international obligations to respect, fulfill, and protect the human rights of all people within its borders, the statement stressed. “In an international context increasingly marked by hostility and aggression, there remains a historic opportunity to resolve the Kurdish conflict through dialogue and negotiation—fundamental pillars of any democratic society. While the Middle East is in flames and too many countries compete in an unrestrained arms race, Mr. Öcalan is one of the strongest voices in the region talking about peace and disarmament. Mr. Öcalan has issued a courageous and timely call to disarm and dissolve, in favor of a peaceful and democratic resolution to a conflict that has endured for over forty years.”

In the statement, the delegation emphasized that they “recognize Mr. Öcalan’s vision of democratic confederalism and his broader proposal for the Middle East as a model not only for Turkey but for the entire region. For the democratic process to reach its full potential, the immediate and unconditional release of Mr. Öcalan and all other political prisoners, whose human rights have been violated, is imperative. Their ongoing imprisonment raises serious concerns. It is essential that their human rights are respected in prison. In particular, the ongoing and unlawful deprivation of Mr. Öcalan’s fundamental rights—after 26 years of isolation in the island prison of Imrali— is the violation of both international and national legal standards.”

‘We will continue to monitor the steps taken by the government’

The statement ends as follows: “We urge the Turkish government to meet its obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law. We appeal to the government of Turkey to act in accordance with the principles of justice, democracy, and peace. We will continue to monitor the steps taken by the government, and we express our hope for a genuine transition toward a fully democratic and inclusive society in Turkey.”