In a press statement sent to the Swedish media by the new organization named Söderhamn Initiative for peace and freedom in Kurdistan, the promoters stated that the aim of the new organization was to strengthen solidarity with the Kurdish people.

For many years it has been the Solidarity with Kurdistan Committee which organized different activities and initiatives for the rights of Kurds. the Committee was conformed by former and new municipal administrators, religious people, trade union branch executives, student representatives, district's former mayor, composers, journalists, photographers, rectors, people from different professions.

“We want the support of the Kurdish people to be as comprehensive as possible - said Benny Gustafsson, President of the Solidarity with Kurdistan Committee - I am honored to see many Söderhamn people taking part in the initiative.”

Öcalan must be freed, negotiations must began

In the statement, the initiative pointed out that Söderhamn is twinned with Nusaybin since 2007 and underlined that the Kurds were subjected to intense pressure and attacks by the Turkish state.

“Municipal administrators have been thrown into prisons. Many are sentence to life imprisonment. The leader of the Kurds has been in prison and in isolation for 20 years.” 

The Söderhamn Initiative supported the Kurdish self-government demands and the democracy movement for peace in Turkey. “PKK founder Abdullah Öcalan should be released - said the statement - and peace talks with him should start immediately. Turkey's President Erdogan, should stop his aggressive approach to Syria's Eastern and Northern regions.”

Benny Gustafsson, one of the founders of the initiative, told ANF that the most important and well-known personalities of the district joined the Söderhamn Initiative and that they strengthened the solidarity with the Kurdish People.

Stating that the HDP has implemented a very clever strategy in local elections, Gustafsson said: "It supported the opposition to end the AKP's sovereignty in provinces where it had no power to take the municipality. But it is also a pity that they lost some of the cities in Kurdistan because of the election fraud.”

Speaking about the hunger strikes by the thousands of prisoners demanding the end of isolation imposed on Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan, Gustafsson said the outside world should not remain silent.

“While many people lose their lives, it is unacceptable that others are just happy with watching this and not taking action. I am ashamed of my own government for not taking action and being silent.”

Gustafsson said that the Söderhamn Initiative is continuing its efforts to support the hunger strikers. “In our press statement, we addressed the hunger strikes and the isolation imposed on Öcalan. But this is a drop in the sea. The authorities must take action to force Erdogan to address the issue.”

Gustafsson pointed out that all the political parties, apart from the Conservative Party and the anti-foreign Swedish democrats, took part in the new organization they established to strengthen solidarity with the Kurdish people.

Gustafsson: Erdogan is targeting Rojava because it doesn't want democracy to develop

Asked why Erdogan is targeting Rojava, Gustafsson answered: “Because there is democracy developing. Women have equal rights there. This is the biggest threat to Erdogan. People want to live in peace, freedom and democracy. All of this frightens Erdogan and he wants to prevent the new model being established in Rojava at any cost. He is also afraid of the spread of the democracy model in Rojava to Northern Kurdistan. Because the HDP is supporting the system in Rojava.”

Azad Aslan, a Kurd living in Söderhamn for many years, said that after the establishment of the Initiative, solidarity with Kurdistan and Kurds would be strengthened in the district.

Aslan stated that the Söderhamn Initiative was a concrete example of the implementation of Öcalan's understanding of public diplomacy and said: “Our basic work is public diplomacy. If we succeed in bringing it to life, we can mobilize the dynamics in society and put pressure on our own governments.” 

Among the people taking part in the Söderhamn Initiative are: Hans Jörgen Alsing, Barbro Andersson, Eva Bappho, Jan-Eric Berger, Nimiane Birath, Erik Björk, Kenth Burvall, Jörn Delvert, Leonie Fors, Pär Forsström, Janne Färnstrand, Alexandra Gard, Lennart Gard, Weine Genfors, Benny Gustafsson, Maria Hansson , Katarina Hedberg, Marianne Isaksson, Erik Lennerstål, Eva Lindberg, Sven-Erik Lindestam, Joann Ling, Anders Noren, Anders Persson, Hugo Persson, Anders Ramstrand, John Staffas, Nils Rundqvist, Monica Siggstedt, Tereza Vanova-Benke, Gun Britt Wallström .