Over 300 delegates from 16 countries who support the "Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, Solution to the Kurdish Question" campaign are expected to attend the conference, which will take place in Rome today and tomorrow.

Organized by the Kurdistan Information Bureau and the campaign committee, the conference will discuss the impact of the campaign. One of the main topics will be the historic call made by Abdullah Öcalan on 27 February. The international and regional effects of this call, as well as the steps to be taken in the upcoming phase of the struggle, will also be debated.

The conference, which will be accessible through simultaneous translation in Kurdish, Italian, Spanish, and English, will begin at 3:00 PM with a performance and concert inspired by Leader Apo's ideas.

Conference program

Friday, 11 April

3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Opening Panel

- Yılmaz Orkan – Kurdistan Information Bureau in Italy (UIKI Onlus) 

- Salvatore Marra – Head of International Relations, CGIL Italy 

- Massimiliano Smeriglio – Member of the Rome City Council for Culture, delivering greetings on behalf of the Mayor of Rome 

- Prof. Kariane Westerheim – Sharing campaign messages from Nobel Laureates 

- Simon Dubbins – International Network for the Freedom of Abdullah Öcalan & UNITE Union 

- Zübeyde Zümrüt – Spokesperson for the Freedom for Öcalan Campaign 

Screening of a short documentary about the campaign

4:00 PM - 6:30 PM Panel 1

Moderated by Dr. Gisela Penteker (IPPNW-Germany) and Father Aris (MIGRANTE, Philippines). This session will feature evaluations on the “Freedom Campaign” and Abdullah Öcalan's call.

Speakers

- Zilan Diyar – TJK-E: Achievements and challenges of the campaign 

- Nicola Fratoianni – MP, General Secretary of Sinistra Italiana 

- Emmanuel Fernandes – MP, Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe 

- Diana Urrea Herrera – MP, EHBildu (Basque Country): The Basque contribution to the Öcalan campaign 

- Maurizio Acerbo – General Secretary, Communist Refoundation Party – European Left: Campaigns in Italy 

- Mike Arnott – Secretary, Dundee Trades Union Council; Former President, Scottish Trades Union Congress 

- Keskin Bayındır – MP for the DEM Party, Co-Chair of the Democratic Regions Party 

- Emily Clancy – Deputy Mayor of Bologna 

- Piero Bernocchi – Spokesperson, COBAS (Base Union) 

- María José Cano-CTA-  Director of the human rights committee Autónoma 

7:30 PM – Dance performance and Italian folk music by Cumpari at the Ararat Cultural Center

Saturday, 12 April

9:30 AM - 11:00 AM Panel 2

Moderated by former Icelandic Minister of Justice and İmralı delegation member Ögmundur Jónasson, and Deputy Secretary General of ELDH, Lawyer Ceren Uysal. This session will address 26 years of İmralı isolation and its implications in law and politics.

Speakers

- Lawyer Rengin Ergül – MAF-DAD Member: Right to Hope and International Law under the İmralı Isolation System 

- Faik Özgür Erol – Asrın Law Office: Institutionalization of the State of Emergency and the İmralı Isolation Regime 

11:20 AM - 1:00 PM Panel 3

Moderated by Amedeo Ciaccheri, President of Rome’s VIII Municipality, and Consuelo Nunez of the Spanish State Campaign Committee. The panel will discuss the local, regional, and global impacts of Abdullah Öcalan’s perspective on peace and democratic society.

Speakers

- Pervin Buldan – MP for the DEM Party and İmralı Delegation Member: Strategy to Transform Authoritarian Regimes with the Power of Democratic Society 

- İdris Baluken – Former Member of the İmralı Delegation during the 2013-2015 peace process: Reflections on that period and current context 

- Ömer Öcalan – MP for the DEM Party: Öcalan’s Democratic Strategy and its Impact on Turkey and the Middle East 

- Foza Yusif – Representative of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria: Rojava’s achievements and Syria’s democratic transformation 

- İdris Saîd – Spokesperson, Freedom for Öcalan Committee in North and East Syria 

2:30 PM - 4:00 PM Forum 1

Moderated by Nilüfer Koç (KNK Council Member) and Lawyer Michela Arricale (Co-President of CRED), this forum will include evaluations, future outlooks, and planning.

4:30 PM Forum 2

General discussion with all participants.

Contributors to the conference include:

- Giovanni Russo Spena – “Time Has Come: Freedom for Öcalan” Campaign Committee – Italy 

- Lawyer Aynur Paşa – Freedom for Öcalan Committee, North and East Syria 

- Democratic Modernity Academy 

- Kurdistan Solidarity Committee – Norway 

- Domenico Mucignat – Rete Kurdistan – Italy 

- Women in Exile – Germany 

- Rete Jin – Italy 

- Fernaz Attia Ahmed Farajallah Said – Nûn Initiative – Egypt 

- Youth Movement 

- Jineology 

- Mujeres y la Sexta – Mexico 

- Amidou Diamoutene – Union Luttes – Mali 

- General Discussion with Committees and Networks