Freedom to Abdullah Ocalan, leader of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)!
Remove the PKK from the list of proscribed terrorist organisations!
Freedom to all political prisoners across all countries!
Long live the right to self-determination of Kurdish people!
Long live the fruits of Rojava!
As the global economic crisis of the neoliberal capitalist system is deepening, the neo-colonial corporate onslaught on the working class of the world is intensifying. On the other hand people of several nationalities under occupation, have been increasingly subjected to more and more national oppression by mightier nation-states. Kurdish people are one of such oppressed nationalities, who have been struggling to defend their right to self-determination.
On the occasion of launching of the book (in London on 19th June 2017) ‘Capitalism – The Age of Unmasked Gods and Naked Kings’ authored by Abdullah Ocalan the imprisoned leader of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), we at the Indian Workers’ Association, Great Britain, once again demand his immediate release by Turkey. Subsequent to being denied the right to claim political asylum in Europe (which was in flagrant violation of international laws), Abdullah Ocalan was captured in 1999 in Kenya by Turkish undercover special forces personnel.
The Kurdish people rightly regard his arrest as an international conspiracy by CIA, Mossad and MI6 in collusion with the Turkish State. Ever since his arrest, Ocalan has been kept in solitary confinement, in a prison on the island of Imrali near Istanbul. Turkey, the US and the EU have designated the PKK as a terrorist organisation.
Over the decades, more than 40,000 Kurdish people and freedom fighters from PKK have been killed by the Turkish State in extra-judicial ways; many more thousands have been illegally detained in Turkish jails. Thousands of Kurdish homes have been destroyed.
In the aftermath of the so called coup attempt of July 2016, President Erdogan consolidated his power throughout the year. There has been intense crack down on human rights in Turkey under his leadership. The government carried out mass arrests of journalists, closed multiple media outlets, and jailed elected opposition politicians.
It detained over 100,000 people including teachers, judges and prosecutors, suspended hundreds of nongovernmental groups, and consolidated government control over the courts.
Those who were detained include several working class people and activists of Communist organisations.
Many of those who were detained were subjected to torture, rape and sexual abuse. This repression on the people has become even worse after the recent rigged referendum that gives Erdogan more and more powers.
It is needless to mention that Kurdish people are the worst affected by Erdogan’s dictatorial rule which has been especially brutal in the Kurdish region of the country. Turkish military has recently conducted air raids on the Kurdish region bordering Iraq and Iran, in which several Kurdish freedom fighters and civilians were killed and homes destroyed.
The IWA (GB), calls for restoration of democratic rights in Turkey and an end to repression on Kurdish population. We demand the release of all political prisoners in Turkey, including Abdulla Ocalan, the leader of the PKK. We reiterate our solidarity with the Kurdish people, who have been struggling for their right to self-determination in Turkey as well as in Syria, Iran and Iraq.
In solidarity,
Indian Workers’ Association, Great Britain
Central Organising Committee
Iwagb1938@hotmail.com
Charan Athwal (Chairman) ; Lekh Pall (General Secretary)
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