Following the coup attempt of July 15 in Turkey, the Kurds are worried about the conditions Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan imprisoned in Imrali island is under and demand he be allowed to see his family and lawyers at once. For this, a series of campaigns have been launched by Kurds, mainly throughout Kurdistan and Turkey. The Kurdish institutions launching the campaigns demand information about Öcalan’s condition. The KCDK-E (European Kurdish Democratic Society Congress), the largest institution of Kurds in Europe with 250 associations and other institutions, has launched a letter writing campaign addressing to the CPT and Amnesty International for an international committee to visit the Kurdish leader in Imrali. KCDK-E Co-chair Yüksel Koç called upon all Kurds and their friends living in Europe to send letters to the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT).
KCDK-E Co-chair Koç added they will be on the streets with various demonstrations for Öcalan all over Europe, starting with Germany.
Please sign and send this letter to these Email addresses:
[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
OPEN LETTER
Urgent Appeal to European Committee for the Prevention of Torture -CPT
Council of Europe / Conseil de l’Europe
F – 67075 Strasbourg Cedex
Tel +33 (0)3 88 41 22 79
Fax +33 (0)3 88 41 27 72
To CPT officials,
Re: Demand for urgent meeting with Abdullah Öcalan
As you are well aware, the unsuccessful coup attempt in Turkey on the 15th of July, 2016. Even at this early stage it is clear that this coup attempt will have significant reverberations.
When President Tayyip Erdogan took a decision to intensify the war on the Kurds and destroy Kurdish towns and cities a year ago, he also moved to suppress Kurdish civil society. The immunities of MPs were removed and Co-Mayors were being imprisoned and removed from their posts. The suppression in Kurdish people was unmatched by any previous historical record.
It is these atrocities and anti-democratic policies implemented by the AKP in Turkey and Kurdistan that paved the way to the coup attempt of 15 July. Following the failure of the coup, President Erdogan has extended this destructive strategy all over Turkey.
We can say this with confidence that had the 7 June, 2015 election results been respected and the conflict resolution process was continued, then there would not have even been a coup attempt. The Kurdish question’s existence and a lack of democratisation in Turkey has always been a platform for coups.
In these circumstances, we have grave concerns about the well being of Mr. Abdullah Öcalan. This concern is shared by his family, his lawyers, the Kurdish people and the wider public. Unfortunately, the pronouncements and actions of the government do little to allay these concerns.
During his meetings with his lawyers, the state and the HDP delegations, Mr Abdullah Öcalan had always warned of this possibility of a coup 15 months ago. In such a situation of violence and counter-violence, his safety would be under threat.
At this critical moment, we call upon the CPT to uphold its responsibilities. The CPT must eliminate all concerns for Mr. Abdullah Öcalan’s safety and well-being. The CPT must meet with Mr. Öcalan but also demand that his lawyers and family are allowed to meet with him too.
For millions of people, Mr Abdullah Öcalan is their political leader and his well-being is of the utmost concern for them. Any hesitance and inaction by the CPT would aggravate the concerns which are legitimate and humane. To alleviate these concerns, the CPT must act with the utmost urgency and demand to meet Mr Abdullah Öcalan face to face at Imrali Island.
We look forward to an urgent action.
Yours sincerely
Rojhelat.info
