The İstanbul Provincial Organization of the Peoples' Democratic Party (DEM Party) organized a rally in Esenyurt Square in support of the 'Great Freedom March,' which was initiated to demand the end of the isolation imposed on PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, who has been under aggravated isolation for 25 years and has not been heard from for 36 months, and to seek a resolution to the Kurdish issue.
According to the report by the Mezopotamya Agency, thousands of people gathered for the 'Freedom and Democracy Rally.' As part of the program, mothers continuing the Vigil for Justice and politicians and representatives of civil society organizations participating in the 'Great Freedom March' took the stage.
Following them, the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality candidates of the DEM Party, Meral Danış Beştaş and Murat Çepni, greeted the crowd.
Emine Kaya from the Med Imprisoned and Convicted Families Legal and Solidarity Associations Federation (MED TUHAD-FED), which is part of the Van branch of the "Great Freedom March," touched upon the visit of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) to Turkey.
Kaya stated, "As you are aware, the CPT came to Turkey but did not visit İmralı. We ask the CPT, which claims to consider the demands of the peoples: Will you fulfill the demands of this people? The demand of the people is to ensure the physical freedom of Mr. Öcalan. This mistake needs to be corrected. Therefore, the CPT needs to play its role."
Bayındır: The addressee of the Kurdish people is clear
In his speech, Keskin Bayındır, Co-Chair of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), emphasized that Kurds are standing up for freedom struggles worldwide, stating, "Today is the day of freedom and victory. Today is the day to stand up. It's our day. It's our time. There has been a hunger strike in prisons for 3 months. For our freedom. Our comrades are on hunger strike in prisons across the country. While they are resisting in prison, we are resisting on the streets."
Bayındır underscored Abdullah Öcalan's role as the interlocutor for resolving the Kurdish issue, saying, "He is not far. He is in İmralı. We will break down the doors of İmralı and achieve a solution. We do not accept this isolation. If you do not want war and hostility, lift this isolation. The addressee of the Kurdish people is clear. It is Mr. Öcalan. We send greetings to İmralı from here. Our struggle in Kurdistan will succeed. Do not make miscalculations. Kurds want their rights. Kurds want a solution with their interlocutors."
Hatimoğulları: Tecrit, Türkiye’deki bütün halkların sorunu
Speaking at the meeting, Co-Chair of the DEM Party, Tülay Hatimoğulları, greeted the crowd in Kurdish and Arabic.
Hatimoğulları pointed out the impact of the İmralı isolation on all segments of society, stating:
"If our youth are taking migration routes today, if they cannot come together with a friend side by side and share a social and cultural environment, let us know that our youth are not free, they are also under isolation. If workers in factories today cannot find the money to bring home a warm loaf of bread, if they work 24/7 and face hunger, and if they cannot go on strike together, let us know that our worker brothers and sisters are also under isolation. Let us know that lifting the isolation is not only the problem of the Kurdish people. It is the problem of all peoples in Turkey. It is the problem of workers and laborers, it is the problem of women and youth. From this square, we call on all oppressed and exploited peoples in Turkey; let us all together eliminate the isolation system. Isolation means lawlessness, it means experiencing the darkest corridors of lawlessness. Isolation means the epitome of the unresolved Kurdish issue."
“Let's unite the peoples”
Calling for action in Ankara, Hatimoğulları stated, "The Kurdish issue is an ethnic issue, an identity issue, a status issue. It is the issue of the Middle East and the four parts of Kurdistan. We have made many calls. Let's solve it in Turkey through peaceful and democratic methods, let's set an example for Syria, Iraq, and Iran. Let's solve the Kurdish issue in this country through peaceful and democratic methods, let's unite the peoples."
Hatimoğulları also emphasized, "Imralı Prison must be closed. The isolation system must end in all aspects of life." She noted that they would continue their struggle for the resolution of the problems of all peoples and beliefs, especially the Kurdish issue, on a democratic basis.
Following the speeches, the artist Arhat from the Mesopotamia Cultural Center (NÇM) took the stage. The rally concluded with halays.
(VC/PE)
