Over 60 women's organisations urge the CPT to act to put an end to isolation

The European Kurdish Women's Movement (TJK-E) has written an open letter to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) urging it to act to put an end to isolation.

The European Kurdish Women's Movement (TJK-E) has written an open letter to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture urging both "the Committee and political leaders to demand that Turkey remove Ocalan from isolation and resume negotiations leading to his freedom and a resolution to hostilities against the Kurdish people. On February 15, 1999, on his way to South Africa, he was illegally abducted as part of a clandestine international operation by NATO powers and handed over to the Turkish state."

The letter adds: "Beyond his role as a political leader of a movement with millions of supporters in Kurdistan and beyond, Ocalan is widely accepted as the Kurdish political movement’s interlocutor in the talks for the negotiation of a peace process with the Turkish state. His role in the peace process was affirmed by the Turkish government, which held regular meetings with Ocalan between 2013 and 2015. This period was seen as a time of hope and justice by many groups in Turkey’s diverse society. However, the unilateral termination of the peace talks between by the Turkish state quickly escalated into one of the most brutal phases of the four decades-old conflict. It led to the killing of thousands of people, the displacement of hundreds of thousands, and the destruction of entire Kurdish cities and towns. At the same time, it led to an expansion of Turkey’s wars of aggression and systematically promoted jihadist, fascist, and misogynist violence around the world."

The letter continues: The CPT, which is responsible for monitoring the conditions in the prisons of member states, observed in its report on 5 August 2020 that 'the state of affairs [at Imrali Prison] is not acceptable and clearly contravenes various relevant international human rights instruments and standards.' Today, civil society leaders, academics, intellectuals, artists, politicians, and rights defenders around the world, especially women, are adopting Ocalan’s proposals for grassroots democracy, ecology, and women’s liberation. To Kurdish women, Ocalan’s belief that “there can be no free society without the freedom of women” has been an important source of encouragement in their struggle against male domination and state violence. Building on his thought, which centers gender equality, women in Northern Syria have made historic advancements for their rights and freedoms in the middle of war."

The women "condemn the failure of regional and international institutions to hold the Turkish state accountable for its systematic torture of Ocalan. By silencing his voice, which has consistently demanded a democratic political solution, the Turkish state prevents any chance for hope for peace and justice in the future."

The women "call on the institutions, which claim to defend and stand for justice, peace, and human rights, to act in accordance with their duties. We encourage all women to stand up against Abdullah Ocalan’s isolation and imprisonment and join us in our demands for his freedom."

The signatories of the letter are as follows:

Iranian peoples women's platform
Rojhilat women's front
Peoples of Iran legal platform committee
Neyêre ansarî, parêzer û şêwirmenda yasayi
Mawerani Çalekvana mafe jinan, Germani
Sroue GHotbi, Psychologist, France
Jamile Karimi, activist, Germany
Mitra Dervishyan, writer, Armenia
Hajar Karimi, Human rights activist Germany
Fatma Karim, Human rights activist, Sweden
Parvin Karimi, Sweden
Chimen Karimi Women's rights activist / Netherlands
Amine Karimi, women's rights activist - Sweden
Tanya Mamrostemi, activist.
Ronak Fadayi, women's rights activist Germany
Awat Scharifi, activist v. Germany
Masume Sayedmuhamedi, Economist-Norway
Fatma Ebrahimi, Human rights activist - Belgium
Sumeye Ahmedpanah v.Belgium
RAWA -Afghanistan Revolutionary Women's Organization,
RONAK- European women's organization from Rojhilat.
Kürye Riyah Cüdeh- Woman and Youth Union Forum President - Iraq
Nür El-Hüda Zaki- Coordinator of the Egyptian Women's Movement for Change - Egypt
Şeza Naji- President of the Women's Association for Peace - Iraq
Dr. Safiya Zaza- Lawyer and economist
Erij El-Kurdi- Palestinian poet and writer and Chair of the Women's Committee for the Lebanon-Palestine Youth Gathering
Zahra Ahmed Muhammed- Palestinian Trade Union Federation Working Women Department Head, Lebanon Branch
İlfet Mahmüd- President of the Palestinian Women's Association in Lebanon
Kejal Nuri- Kurdish poet and writer from Iraqi Kurdistan / Bashure Kurdistan - Netherlands
Leyla El-Tay- Vice Chairman of the Syriac Unity Party and Head of Bouchrieh Dam on Lebanon Mountain
Moroccan Progressive Women's Association
Suad Brahma- Lawyer and human rights activist - Morocco
Zeyneb Hüseyn Mıruwah- President of the Lebanese Democratic Women's Meeting
Afaf Ghattasha- President of the Union of Palestinian Working Women's Committees
Democratic Road Party Women's Sector - Morocco
Şamiran Mrokel- President of Iraqi Women's Association
Radiyah El-Jarbi- President of the National Association of Tunisian Women, UNFT
Rural Women's Development Association - Palestine
Rabiha Al-Farisi - Libyan Women's Rights Organization
Selwa Giga- African Union Women, Security and Peace Committee Member
CODESA- Sahara Human Rights Defenders Association in Occupied Western Sahara Hanan
Mahjübi- Socialist Party Member, President of Masarat Femmes Association, Tunisia
Aidah Nasrallah- Chairman of the Lebanese Women's Rights Committee
JÎN- Women's Foundation - Lebanon
Newroz Cultural and Social Association - Lebanon
Ayşa Husu, PYD Co-chair
Khadija Ryadi, Women's Rights activist-Morocco
Ruba Ude, member of the World March of Women Coordination - Palestine
Selay Ghaffar, spokesperson for the Afghanistan Solidarity Party
CPAZ - Peace, government, integration and struggle coordination
Abya Yala Feminists, South America
Rita Laura Segato, professor of the University of Brasilia
Catherine Walsh, Ecuadorian activist / Simon Bolivar University faculty member
Dr. Sylvia Marcos, professor of feminist theology at Ibero-America University
Permanent Seminar of Gender and Anthropology, IIA- UNAM
Margaret Owen, Attorney / UK
Wendy Lyon, Feminist lawyer and activist- Ireland
Julie Ward, Former MP-UK
Debbie Bookchin, Journalist-writer USA
Meredith Tax, Author and feminist activist - USA
Laura Corradi, professor of sociology, University of Calabria - Italy
International Association of Philosophers, Italy