Imrali Island – Turkey’s equivalent to Robben Island – is a place where the European Convention for Human Rights has been systematically circumvented for almost 20 years now.

For more than seven years now Abdullah Öcalan has had no contact to a lawyer.

After the collapse of talks with the Turkish state, these constant and blatant rights violations have turned into a complete isolation of the island prison from the world.

This is the longest time ever that anyone was prohibited from having contact with lawyers.

There is no news from Abdullah Öcalan and three other prisoners on the island since 2015.

The whole island is a black hole – right in the middle of Europe. Its effects are now spilling over to the rest of Turkey and Europe.

The biggest ever freedom campaign since Mandela, is Abdullah Öcalan’s freedom campaign.

More than 10 million signatures were collected for his freedom – the biggest ever campaign for a political prisoner.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Öcalan's arrival to Italy in the attempt to bring the Kurdish Question to the European agenda.

The Time Has Come! – Freedom for Öcalan World Campaign – is organising a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday, 5 September at 11 am at the Press Club Brussels Europe.

The campaign is supported by intellectuals, politicians, unions and movements with millions of members and supporters such as Mairead Maguire (Nobel Peace Prize Laurette), Noam Chomsky, Jose Ramos-Horta (Nobel Peace Prize Laurette), Prof. Immanuel Wallerstein, Prof. Angela Davis, Desmond Tutu, Gerry Adams, Arnaldo Otegi, Unite the Union, GMB (Britain’s General Union) and Durham Miners Association to name a few.

Participants:
Havin Guneser – Representing International Initiative “Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan – Peace in Kurdistan”

Arnaldo Otegi – General Coordinator of Basque pro-independence Left coalition Euskal coalition Herria Bildu. He has played a pivotal role on the peace process in the Basque Country. Imprisoned from 2009 to 2016, for his role in defining that strategy.

Ross Forbes and Joseph Whitworth – Representing Durham Miners Association

Eleonora De Majo – Member of city council of Napoli for Dema Party and delegated by the Mayor Luigi De Magistris

Mauro Palma – First national ombudsman for the rights of persons detained or deprived of their liberty (Italy) and former head of CPT (European Committee for the Prevention of Torture)