Ministry of Justice doesn’t Respond to Peace Delegation’s Letter

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Request of the International Peace Delegation coming to Turkey to contribute to restarting peace process and to visit PKK’s imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan has been left unanswered by Ministry of Justice.

Delegation President, Judge Essa Moosa has said not receiving any response to neither of their requests has causes disappointment.

Catholica priest in the delegation, Westminster Justice and Peace Commission Chair Joe Ryan in his statement to bianet said, “No matter how disappointed we are, we will by peaceful attitude support our friends acting in solidarity for peace”.

Delegation in its written declaration stated that they will continue to seek dialogue channels.

Letter to Bozdağ from the delegation

Moosa in the letter referred to Minister of Justice, Bekir Bozdağ on behalf of the delegation said their purpose of visit is to encourage resuming the peace process.

Moosa expressing that he advocated Mandela and his friends in prison, gave coverage to a letter written by Mandela for him in his letter to Bozdağ.

Following expressions have been included in the letter:

“I observed peace process in Turkey between the dates of 2005-2014 and I was very hopeful and optimistic until my latest visit to Turkey in July 2014. After the national elections, Turkey would have found a peaceful political solution to Kurdish question and democratization in its regime. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. This requires us to make efforts together to achieve permanent peace in Turkey”.

Moosa: Not receiving a response has caused disappointment

Moosa speaking in the press meeting held in İstanbul expressed that they look into the matter since they couldn’t receive an answer to the letter, and learned that the ministry hasn’t received the letter. Thereupon, they sent a second letter yet couldn’t hear from the ministry again, added Moosa.

Moosa stating that they’ve learned Öcalan cannot meet with his lawyers over five years and his family members for 14 months reminded that all prisoners have the right to meet with their lawyers and families according to international law and protocols.

Moosa said not receiving a response from the ministry has caused disappointment.

Ryan: We will support our friends

Catholic priest in the delegation, Westminster Justice and Peace Commission President Joe Ryan spoke to bianet as follows:

“I have been interested in Kurdish question for a long time. Cause of my interest is that St. John Vianney Community of which I am the priest has many Kurdish members. Before my activities in the International Peace Delegation, I have followed hearings of imprisoned Kurds in Diyarbakır and reported to British House of Commons.

“I submitted several requests like we did via International Peace Delegation to meet with Abdullah Öcalan imprisoned in İmralı. All of these requests were turned down, in fact I came by some ridiculous excuses and I felt like I wasn’t taken seriously”.

Delegation members are as follows:

Judge Essa Moosa from South Africa International Peace and Reconciliation Imitative, Co-Founder of International Social Ecology Institute from Canada Dimitri Roussopoulos, American writer, translator and artist Janet Biehl, Geography School from England, University of Leeds, International Social Ecology Institute Consultative Board member Federico Venturini, Political Sociology Lecturer Dr. Thomas Jeffrey Miley from University of Cambridge, Aachen German Left Party MP Andrej Hunko from Germany, writer and translator Erik Eiglad from New Compass Publishing in Norway, Venezeula National Aseembly member Edgar de Jesús Lucena González, Joe Ryan from Westminster Justice and Peace Commission in England.

Supporters of the delegation:

Noam Chomsky, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Emeritus Professor, writer, the US; Mauro Palma, the President of European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, Italy; Tariq Ali, writer, journalist, and film-maker, the UK; Dr. Felix Padel JNU, academic member at Delhi, writer, India; Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Nobel Peace Prize, 1980; Nora Cortinas, Plaza De Mayo Mothers President; Felix Padel, Professor, JNU university, writer, India; David Graeber, Professor at LSE, writer, activist, England; Norman Paech, Professor, University of Hamburg International Law and Constitutional  Law, Germany; Baroness Helena Kennedy, House of Lords Undersecretary, the UK; Mark Thomas, political critic, writer, journalist, the UK; Jeremy Hardy, stand-up comedian, actor, writer, activist, the UK; John Holloway, academic member in sociology, writer, Mexico; Dr. Dafydd Iwan, Plaim Cymru Party former president, Wales; Dr. Bill Bowring, professor of law at Birkbeck Law School, University of London, the UK; Mike Mansfield, Vice Undersecretary in Haldane Socialist Lawyers Community, the UK; Margaret Owen Obe, human rights defender, England; Grahame Smith, General Secretary of Scottish Labor Unions;  

James Kelman, writer, Booke Prizer winner, Scotland; Nick Hildyard, Advisor of Politics, the UK; Louise Christian Haldane, Vice President of Socialist Lawyers Association; Tony Simpson, Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, the UK; Ara Sarafian, manager at Gomidas Institute, the UK; Alastair Lyon, lawyer, BirnberPeirce Lawyers (Solicitors), the UK; Matt Foot, lawyer, Solicitors, the UK; Bronvven Jones, lawyer (barrister), Goldsmith Chambers (-Barrister- Chamber of Lawyers), the UK; Johannes de Jong, Christian Political Foundation for Europe administrator, the Netherlands; Feroze