Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan, barred from meeting with his lawyers since July 2011, and his family since April 2015, met with his brother Mehmet Öcalan yesterday. Mehmet Öcalan came to DBP Amed headquarters and got together with the Amed Hunger Strike Activists. The activists arrived in the Vedat Aydın Conference Hall with chants of “Biji Serok Apo”, “Victory through resistance”, “Be Serok jiyan nabe” and cheering. Mehmet Öcalan made the first statement on the visit here. Hundreds of citizens attended the conference covered widely by the media.

“HE SENDS HIS GREETINGS TO ALL”

Mehmet Öcalan said, “We met with the Kurdish People’s Leader in the İmralı Island yesterday. He sends his greetings and respects to all.”

Mehmet Öcalan said they weren’t allowed to exercise their legal right for two years and continued: “Our right has been confiscated by the state. If this state is a state of law, they should have given us our legal and democratic right. The state took Serok Öcalan to İmralı island, and they should have allowed us visitation. He wasn’t allowed to see his family for 2 years and his lawyers for 5. He can’t exercise his legal right. The rights of the lawyers has been usurped by the state as well. Öcalan has great importance for Kurds and the Middle East.”

Mehmet Öcalan said they absolutely rejected descriptions like “terrorist ringleader” and condemned this very strictly. He said: “He has been struggling for peace, to stop the bloodshed for 23 years. But the press calls him the ‘terrorist ringleader’. We absolutely reject this language.”

“IT WASN’T US TO END THE PROCESS”

Mehmet Öcalan said Abdullah Öcalan was able to see 3 people on İmralı, and relayed his words: “The isolation continues. I don’t have any physical problems. We have our projects ready. If the state is ready, we can solve the issue in 6 months. It wasn’t us who ended the solution process. I talked to the committee that came to visit me, and they said they were going to return in 15 days. The Kurdish issue isn’t a 40 year long issue, it is a 200 year long issue. If the state was sincere, the issue would be resolved, this many people wouldn’t have died. I lose sleep over these deaths. This country doesn’t deserve these deaths. If the state is ready, they can send two of their men here. This issue is a heavy issue.”

“THE ISUE CAN’T BE SOLVED UNILATERALLY”

“Our projects are ready. This is a blind war, it’s not a war where one side can win. It has continued for 40 years, and maybe it will continue for 80 years more. The blood and tears must stop. This solution can’t be achieved unilaterally. The state is the largest party, if they point towards a solution, the issue will be resolved. Today is Eid. But it can’t be a celebration if 30 people die every day in a country. I celebrate this holiday, but it’s not ethical in this situation. The intellectuals, democrats, political parties and all people must act as soon as possible for the solution to this issue.”

GÜVEN: COUPS ARE NOT A SOLUTION

DTK Co-chair Leyla Güven spoke in the name of the hunger strike activists. Güven said that the current process was critical, pointed out that the day of the conference coincided with the anniversary of the September 12 coup, pointed out that the coups still continued and said: “Yesterday, we saw a coup unfold before our eyes. We strictly condemn this mindset. Coups are not a solution. Today is the Feast of Sacrifice. This Eid is focused on solidarity and unity, but unfortunately we as a people have to spend our Eid in cemeteries.”

Güven mentioned the statement they made on August 31 and continued: “We had said that we couldn’t hear from Mr. Öcalan and that we were very concerned and demanded Mr. Öcalan was urgently contacted. 50 Kurdish politicians, intellectuals, writers and artists went on a hunger strike with this demand. The only demand of the hunger strike was contact with Mr. Öcalan, a committee to visit him to ensure his wellbeing. Yesterday, Mehmet Öcalan met with him. Now, the results of this resistance are very clear. We resisted, and we have won through resistance today as we did in the past. The hunger strike continued for 20 days in Strasbourg and 8 days in Amed, and we have heard from Öcalan. I salute those in resistance. But we always said, hearing from him once doesn’t mean this isolation has ended. For us this resistance hasn’t ended, this is just the beginning. Yes, we heard from him today. We as a people have taken a deep breath of relief. From now on, the struggle will continue to lift the isolation and have his freedom back.

We said this was a campaign when we started the hunger strike. Even if the hunger strike ends, we will be in the streets. Resistance against coups is legitimate, and we will resist. Mr. Öcalan needs to be free, foremost. We as a people will achieve this as soon as possible. If this country wants a true lasting peace, they need to give up this language first. We absolutely reject phrases like ‘terrorist ringleader’. The authorities and the media first need to let go of this language.”

HUNGER STRIKE ENDED

“We said we have one item on the agenda when we started the hunger strike, and it has been realized as of today. We have heard from Mr. Öcalan. We are ending the hunger strike here today. We will continue our struggle in all areas from now on.”