A major demonstration advocating for the release of Abdullah Öcalan and a political solution to the Kurdish question will take place in Cologne on 16 November, starting at 11 a.m. at Deutzer Werft. KON-MED, the Confederation of Kurdistan Communities in Germany, alongside various other organizations, called on everyone to attend the demonstration.

In their call, Ruken Akca and Kerem Gök, co-chairs of KON-MED (which represents around 250 Kurdish entities and organizations), said: "Since February 15, 1999, Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan has been held as a political prisoner on Imrali Island in the Sea of Marmara. For 43 months, there was no communication from him. Only on 23 October this year was a family visit allowed. During this visit, the Kurdish people’s leader said that ‘isolation continues. If conditions are right, I have the theoretical and practical power to move this process from a ground of conflict and violence to a legal and political ground.’"

Right to Hope

KON-MED added: "As the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on 18 March 2014 said, ‘Every prisoner has the right to have their situation reviewed and to know when they will be released. This right is founded on human dignity.’ The ECHR found that Öcalan’s sentence of aggravated life imprisonment without the possibility of parole violated the ECHR and urged Turkey to take corrective steps. Turkey’s legal system crafted this ruling specifically for Mr. Öcalan in 2002, subsequently extending it to other political prisoners. This ruling is often referred to as the ‘right to hope.’"

No sanctions imposed on Turkey yet

KON-MED continued: "Lawyers from Turkey, Kurdistan, and numerous European countries have underscored the Committee of Ministers' duty to enforce the 2014 ruling. During its September 17-19 session, the committee included the ECHR’s ruling on its agenda after a decade, noting with concern that Turkey has yet to meet the requirements for conditional release. However, no sanctions have been imposed on the Republic of Turkey.

Lawless zones becoming political norms

The Imrali regime’s treatment of Abdullah Öcalan exemplifies how lawlessness and impunity are increasingly becoming political norms. Mr. Öcalan symbolizes the Kurdish people's struggle for freedom from oppression and injustice. He must regain his freedom and be able to actively contribute to a peace process and a democratic resolution of the Kurdish issue. Every Kurdish person advocating for freedom identifies with Mr. Öcalan and understands that he has endured 25 years of isolation as punishment for his activism."

Demonstration in Cologne on 16 November

KON-MED said: "For 25 years, we have continuously advocated for Abdullah Öcalan’s freedom, and we will continue to do so. We invite everyone who supports democracy, human rights, and a peaceful political solution to the Kurdish question to join us on 16 November, for the mass demonstration and rally at Deutzer Werft in Cologne."