As the May 14 elections in Turkey approach, prominent international figures continue to call for support for the Green Left Party, under the umbrella of which the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) is contesting, because of the ongoing closure case against the party before the Constitutional Court of Turkey.

One of these figures is Swiss Jean Ziegler, known for his struggle and criticism of capitalism.

In an interview with Serkan Demirel for Medya News Television, Ziegler called for support for the Green Left Party.

‘ERDOĞAN REGIME IS TYRANNY’

Defining the Erdogan regime as tyranny, Ziegler said: “The Erdogan regime is an imperialist regime par excellence. It is a tyrannic regime that restricts all human rights, hates democracy and promotes violence. I hope that Erdogan loses the elections and disappears from the political scene so that a democratic dialogue is initiated between Turks and Kurds, through which the Kurds can attain fundamental rights such as self-determination, identity and existence.”

‘GREEN LEFT PARTY OFFERS A CHANGE TO OVERTHROW ERDOĞAN’

Ziegler called on people to embrace and support the Green Left Party, saying: “The Green Left Party offers an alternative. The Kurdish people must seize this democratic opportunity by voting for the Green Left Party, which offers a real chance to overthrow Erdogan.”

'KURDISH PEOPLE INSPIRE US'

Ziegler continued: “I would like to thank the Kurdish people for their fight against jihadists. I would like to thank this magnificent people who have inspired us as an example of courage and determination. I convey my feelings of admiration and solidarity to the Kurdish people.”

WHO IS ZIEGLER?

Jean Ziegler was born in 1934 as Hans Ziegler. He is an anti-globalization politician and sociologist. He served as a special rapporteur at the UN to advocate the right to food. As a special rapporteur, he examined the nutritional status of many countries (Niger, Ethiopia, India, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Brazil, Palestine, Bolivia, Cuba, Guatemala, etc.) and presented reports to the United Nations General Assembly. Ziegler has been the Vice Chair of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council Advisory Committee since 2009.

MEETING CHE IN GENEVA

Ziegler is considered as one of Switzerland's most important intellectuals. His books have been translated into dozens of languages. But because of the lawsuits filed against his books, he has huge debts to pay. Despite his advancing age, he still considers himself a revolutionary.

Riadh Sidaoui's 2003 book "Jean Ziegler parle aux Arabes" (Jean Ziegler speaks to Arabs) describes Ziegler's encounter with Che Guevara during his 1964 visit to Geneva. Ziegler chauffeured Che for a while in Geneva. One day before Che's departure, he got up the nerve to speak to Che: "Commander, I want to go with you too." Turning to Ziegler, Che pointed to the illuminated buildings in Geneva downtown and replied: "The brain of the monster is here. This is where you must fight.”

MEETING SARTRE AND BEAUVOIR IN PARIS

Born to a bourgeois family in Switzerland, Ziegler later met Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir in Paris. In an interview with Swissinfo in June 2022, Ziegler revealed that the two philosophers had given him intellectual tools to better understand the world and to change it. Ziegler also unveiled that Simone de Beauvoir gave him the name "Jean".