Following Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan's "Call for Peace and Democratic Society" on 27 February, the PKK convened its 12th Congress on 5-7 May. The PKK decided to "end its work" at the congress, giving a new impetus to the discussions on the democratic solution of the Kurdish question. While the decision has had wide repercussions both nationally and internationally, statements in support of the process continue to come from various international circles, especially in Europe.

 

Ezio Menzione, one of Italy's leading lawyers, made evaluations on the issue to Mezopotamya Agency (MA).

 

'ÖCALAN MUST  BE ABLE TO MANAGE THE PROCESS FROM OUTSIDE'

 

Menzione found the PKK's congress decisions positive, stated that both sides should want peace. Pointing out that the aggravated isolation imposed on Abdullah Öcalan Menzione said: "It's almost funny to have to discuss about an isolation of 26 years, and to discuss about preventing  relatives and lawyers not to meet the detainee. It's something incredible, which doesn't happen, not even in the USA, where people can be detained in isolation, but there is isolation to a certain point. And anyway, it's always saved the right to meet relatives and to meet defence lawyers. So we are discussing of something which is out of any right, out of any legal standard. Of course, I noticed that in the last months such an isolation has been slightly broken. He was first allowed to meet his nephew which is a member of parliament, and then the delegation. But in the present situation, and with the decision of the Congress, the all Öcalan’s situation must be solved, overturned.  He’s been peaceful all this 26 years of isolation. Now it's time that it comes out of prison"

 

Recalling MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli's call on 1 October 2024 for Abdullah Öcalan to "come to the Parliament and speak", Menzione said: "It means that he must govern the situation from outside of prison. It's not a matter of staying in prison with some connection with outside. No, it's time that is restituted to his full citizenship after 26 years. Ocalan must govern, rule all the steps of this pacification, of this peaceful step from the outside."

 

ANTI-TERRORISM LAW

 

Stating that the Anti-Terror Law (TMK) is arbitrary in terms of both content and implementation, Menzione reminded that the judgements of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) are not implemented. Stating that similar laws exist in Italy and Germany, but that they are abolished or not implemented after the threat of "terrorism" is eliminated, Menzione said: "The Turkish anti-terrorism law, as the European Court said, is something so generic, so unspecific, so broad that it doesn't confirm the standards that a state of law must have. "

 

'THE GOVERNMENT MUST DEMONSTRATE ITS WILLING FOR PEACE'

 

Menzione said that the definition of "terrorism" in Turkey should change as soon as the PKK ends its armed struggle, and underlined that thousands of political prisoners should be released as soon as possible. Menzione stressed: "All the political prisoners which are indicted, or detainees for connection to PKK, must be out in a very, very short period. It's a matter of days, not a matter of months. I personally do not trust so much the Turkish government, which will take the necessary steps. It must demonstrate its willing to go to a peace."

 

MA / Hîvda Çelebi