NEWS CENTRE - Raphaëlle Primet, a member of the Communist Party of France, who applied to the Ministry of Justice to meet with PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, emphasised that the talks were under pressure from the peoples and states that need the Kurds and said, "Abdullah Öcalan could be the key to Kurds finally living in peace in a region marked by conflicts."

 

PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, who has been kept under heavy isolation in İmralı Type F High Security Closed Prison for 26 years, conveyed a 7-point message to the public on a solution during his meeting with the DEM Party İmralı Delegation on 28 December.

 

Following Abdullah Öcalan's message, the İmralı delegation met with the leaders of political parties and applied to the Ministry of Justice for a second İmralı meeting on 20 December. While discussions of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan's messages on the solution and the Kurdish issue continue İmralı delegation today going to İmralı for a second meeting.  

 

On 3 December, Raphaëlle Primet, Chair of the French Communist Party Group in the Paris Metropolitan Municipality Assembly, one of the members of the international delegation that came to Turkey and applied to the Ministry of Justice to meet with Öcalan, made evaluations on Abdullah Öcalan's messages and the importance of the solution of the Kurdish issue for them.

 

'ÖCALAN IS AN INDISPENSABLE FIGURE'

 

Stating that the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan is a violation of international law, Raphaëlle Primet reminded that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on 18 March 2014 that the life imprisonment of Abdullah Öcalan without the possibility of parole is contrary to Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) which prohibits torture and inhuman or degrading treatment. Raphaëlle Primet said that the French Communist Party has always been at the forefront of the struggle for the release of Abdullah Öcalan and added, "Mr Öcalan is an indispensable figure for a political and democratic solution to the Kurdistan issue."

 

Expressing their struggle for the release of political prisoners held in prisons, Raphaëlle Primet said, "We once again express our unwavering support for their struggle for justice and democracy. We also call for the removal of the PKK from the list of terrorist organizations and the decriminalisation of Kurdish parties."

 

'DECISION TAKEN UNDER PRESSURE FROM PEOPLES AND STATES THAT NEED THE KURDS'

 

Raphaëlle Primet said, The visit took place against a backdrop of thawing relations between Kurdish organizations and the Turkish state: two months ago, Devlet Bahceli, MP and leader of the Turkish nationalist party MHP, invited Abdullah Öcalan to 'stand up and shout that terrorism is completely over, and that the (PKK) organization is finished'.

This freeze was undoubtedly intended for electoral reasons on the one hand, and under international pressure from peoples and states who need the Kurds in the fight against Islamic terrorism on the other. The international campaign launched on October 10, 2023 to denounce Abdullah Öcalan's imprisonment and demand his release, which brought together numerous parties, associations and trade unions around the world, must also have borne fruit."

 

'KURDISTAN URGENTLY NEEDS OFFICIAL STATUS'

 

Recalling Abdullah Öcalan's message in the 7-point declaration delivered by the İmralı delegation that "Strengthening the Turkish-Kurdish brotherhood once again is not only a historic responsibility but also a matter of critical urgency and significance for all peoples", Raphaëlle Primet said, "It is therefore time to release Öcalan and to fully recognise the existence of the Kurdish people through a political solution in which Öcalan will remain the legitimate interlocutor of the Kurdish people. A formal status for Kurdistan is urgently needed. Without peace there can be neither democracy, prosperity nor political stability. Abdullah Öcalan could be the key to Kurds finally living in peace in a region marked by conflict."

 

Raphaëlle Primet said that the model of society represented in Rojava is under threat after the Kurdish struggle against ISIS. "This threat targets not only the Kurdish people, but also the fundamental values of freedom, democracy and equality that Rojava represents," she said.

 

Raphaëlle Primet said that Turkey and the Syrian National Army (SNA) are targeting the Kurds, adding that there are also fears of a US withdrawal from the region after Trump takes office. "Such a development would give Turkey complete freedom to crush the Kurdish movement, jeopardising not only a region but also a promising political and social project for the Middle East," she said.

 

'ERDOGAN WANTS TO BREAK THE REVOLUTIONARY PROCESS IN ROJAVA'

 

Stressed that Rojava is once again under threat Raphaëlle Primet said, "On 26 January, the 10th anniversary of the YPG's recapture of Kobani from ISIS will be celebrated. Erdoğan wants to break the revolutionary process at work in Rojava. In this autonomous region of Syria, all cultural minorities are working together to build a feminist, ecological and peaceful society through social progress and this is what is under attack."

 

Since 8 January, there have been attacks on civilians at the Tishreen dam said Raphaëlle Primet and added, "Many observers are already reporting violence against the Kurdish population with the aim of genocide. While thousands of Kurds have fled, massacres have already begun in the Tel Rifat and Shahba cantons. Homes and property have been confiscated, sexual violence and kidnappings have taken place, and the abuses committed in Afrin have been repeated. We are aware of the crimes committed against civilians in Iraq and Syrian Kurdistan over the years. We condemn them."

 

'FRANCE'S COMPLICITY IS OBVIOUS'

 

Raphaëlle Primet said that the reasons for the silence of European countries on the isolation and the attacks on Northern and Eastern Syria are their relationship with Turkey on migration, Turkey's geopolitical position and its membership in NATO: "Six political assassinations have been committed on French soil by Turkey. First in 2012, with Sakine, Fidan and Leyla, for whom the “defense secret” blocking the investigation has still not been lifted, and for those of Evin, Mir and Abdurrahman, the terrorist nature has been rejected, even though the targets were clearly identified as prominent members of the Kurdish Democratic Council in France (CDK-F). France has a duty to protect the Kurds, a duty to bring the truth to light and bring them justice, to put an end to impunity for these political crimes. Not only does it remain passive, but the administrative harassment and repression of Kurds in France has reached new heights, with the recent expulsion of three Kurdish activists to Turkey. Under bilateral cooperation agreements with France, Kurdish activists who have taken refuge in France are extradited to Turkey, where they are sentenced to prison terms solely for defending their cultural rights and Kurdish identity. These are the same Kurds who have been hailed as heroes and with whom the French state is cooperating in Syria and Iraq, but who are branded terrorists once they arrive in Europe."

 

About the worldwide campaign "Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan and a democratic solution to the Kurdish issue" Raphaëlle Primet said the following: "A campaign has been launched all over the world since October 10, 2023, in more than 100 countries at a time. It doesn't just involve the Kurds, but also various trade unions, political organizations, environmentalists, feminists, NGOs, well-known personalities and artists who are actively taking part. We must continue it by all possible means, and pressure our government in France to make a commitment."

 

MA / Hîvda Çelebî