A press statement was made in Amed (Diyarbakır) after the banning of the Freedom Rally and prevention of gatherings across the city by a large police force.

Addressing thousands who managed to gather in the Ofis neighborhood, Rezan Sarıca, one of the lawyers of Asrin Law Office, said: “Thanks to this struggle, we held talks with Mr Abdullah Öcalan in Imrali in 2019. It ennobles and enlarges the hope of freedom. Greetings to those who keep the hope of freedom alive.”

Sarıca said, “As you may remember, Mr Öcalan has expressed his promises of rational peace and democratic political negotiation for the solution of social problems in Turkey and the region. In these talks, we saw that Mr Öcalan maintained his democratic position, that he was confident about the future, and that he was in great excitement about the construction of social peace. At that time, we made these historical observations and warnings.”

Commenting on the last meeting with Abdullah Öcalan, lawyer Sarıca reminded the following words of the Kurdish People's Leader: ‘I am trying to make room for the Kurds, let's solve the Kurdish question. I say I can eliminate the possibility of conflict in a week. I can solve it, I trust myself, I am ready for a solution. However, the state must also fulfil its state wisdom.’

Lawyer Sarıca continued: “We have experienced that Mr Öcalan's observations were absolutely right. While Mr Öcalan was struggling hard to warn everyone, Lebanon and Rojava had not entered such a period of war, polarisation and conflict. Since then, the culture of masculinity expected from war has attacked even more. At that time, when it was obvious that everyone was trapped in narrow, periodical and political calculations, Mr Öcalan proposed a solution. He did this under the unprecedented conditions of isolation in İmralı. He warned that a Turk without a Kurd and a Kurd without a Turk could not exist. He stated that the growth of the Kurds would be parallel to the growth of the Turks. He stated that peoples would live in peace in the Middle East. The hand extended by the Kurdish people was left hanging in midair. If there are political approaches and calculations like in the past, if the denial of the existence of the Kurds is continued in a veiled way or differently, this should be abandoned, and strategic peace projects should be adopted. When we look back from today, historical statements, determinations and predictions reveal a truth to us. Mr Öcalan's stance foresees the survival of society. What I have to say today is the most basic need. Abolish torture, open the doors of İmralı. Create an environment where Mr Öcalan can work democratically.”