NEWS CENTER - Lawyer Margaret Owen said that Abdullah Öcalan must be physically free for the success of the "Peace and Democratic Society Process".

 

Human rights defender and lawyer Margaret Owen, who has been working for many years for the solution of the Kurdish issue and against the practices against Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan, evaluated the developments in the "Peace and Democratic Society Process".

 

Commenting on Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan's 27 February "Call for Peace and Democratic Society", Margaret Owen said: "It's like a new revolution, a completely new time. And I think that not just all over the world, Kurds are welcoming it, but also the international community. And it's up to the international community now to ensure that Erdogan sticks by his word and that the Grand Assembly enacts with legislation the essential changes that are needed legally and politically. And Erdogan hasn't mentioned anything about the release of Abdullah Öcalan or the release of the political prisoners.”

 

Describing the PKK's gun-burning ceremony as an "amazing gesture", Margaret Owen said: "Let's now talk politically for a solution. And of course, Erdogan, the ball is in his court.” 

 

'NO PEACE WITHOUT ÖCALAN'

 

Margaret Owen stated that Abdullah Öcalan is recognised as a leader by Kurds worldwide and said: "There can be no real peace process until Ocalan is free and can be talking about it. We've only got to look at what happened with Nelson Mandela. He had to be free so that he could be in that process to end apartheid in South Africa."

 

Reminding that the United Nations (UN) and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) have described Abdullah Öcalan's detention as torture and a violation of international law, Margaret Owen said that "Öcalan should be at the table with Erdoğan, the DEM Party and the MHP" and that the judiciary should not be like "an extension of the state" in order to free other political prisoners.

 

'PKK SHOULD BE DELIST FROM THE TERROR LIST'

 

Margaret Owen emphasised that the PKK should be removed from terrorist lists in Europe and the UK now that it has ended its armed struggle. "The Supreme Court of Belgium, two years ago, delisted the PKK. The UK still keeps the PKK on its list. And because of that, it's arrested all sorts of many, several Kurds in this country," she said.

 

'ÖCALAN'S IDEAS SHOULD BE EMBRACED AROUND THE WORLD'

 

Margaret Owen stated that she always telling the revolution of Kurdish women and Abdullah Öcalan's paradigm everywhere and emphasised the importance of women playing a role in this process. Margaret Owen added: "It's terribly important how brilliant it is. That model for a free, just society has to have central to it, gender equality and women's empowerment, and actually legislate to criminalize all acts which deprive women of their basic rights and subject them to the most appalling violence. Turkey is one of the countries which has the massive honor killings. So that is really important to take on that Kurdish model and actually show gratitude to Öcalan the way he's actually developed all of that from his earliest writings. So I can't put more importance on the role of Kurdish women supported by men, because feminism isn't just about women, it's also about having men. And what Öcalan said so brilliantly was that the oppression of women oppresses men as well.”

 

Stating that all Kurds in the Middle East have been under the oppression of four states for a century, Owen said that the policies of suppression against the Kurds must end in order to achieve regional peace. "The execution of Kurds in Iran, the torture and persecution of Kurds in Iraq and Syria show that Kurds are still under great threat. Barzani and Talabani are also partners in this oppression. This process is important not only for Turkey but also for the region and the world. It is also linked to what is happening in Gaza, Lebanon and Israel."

 

MA / Hivda Celebi