News Center- 88 Nobel Laureates have signed a joint letter to support the “Call for Peace and Democratic Society” of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan.

The Nobel Laureates sent the letter to international institutions, including to the General Secretary of the Council of Europe, the Human Rights Commissioner, the President of the European Court of Human Rights, and the Committee for the Prevention of Torture, inhuman and degrading treatment (CPT) and Türkiye’s President Tayyip Erdoğan, expressing their support to the call of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan and their ongoing concerns about the conditions of Abdullah Öcalan in the prison island of Imrali during his 26 years of imprisonment. “In a time of intensifying conflict around the world, Mr. Öcalan’s call for peace and democracy in Turkey stands as a beacon of hope for the peoples of the region,” the letter said.

The signatories criticize international institutions for their “apparent lack of meaningful efforts made by the European entities addressed here as well as the UN Human Rights Committee” on the case of Mr. Öcalan, calling on them to fulfil their obligations regarding protecting the rights, particularly in ensuring the implementation of the ECHR 2014 decision against aggravated life sentences, and on the “right to hope.”

“Mr. Öcalan’s call follows in the spirit of fraternity and peace as Alfred Nobel emphasized so strongly. As Nobel Laureates, we recognize and support this initiative. In the context of resumed peace negotiations, and as the legitimate political representative and leader of the Kurdish people, Mr. Öcalan must be free and allowed to participate fully in the peace process he initiated, and thus to communicate freely with his lawyers, his party, and all actors in this process.”