Subject: Appeal
From: Int. Initiative (info@freedom-for-ocalan.com)
Date: Thu Jun 15 2000 - 10:29:09 CDT
No to the death penalty - Peace now - Freedom for Ocalan
International Initiative
Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan – Peace in Kurdistan
P.O. Box 100511, D-50445 Koeln
Telephone: +49 221 1301559
Fax: +49 221 1393071
E-Mail: info@freedom-for-ocalan.com
URL: www.freedom-for-ocalan.com
15.06.2000
On 29 June 1999 the State Security Court on Imrali Island condemned PKK
chairman Abdullah Ocalan to death. The European Court of Human Rights
blocked the carrying out of the sentence by issuing an emergency ruling
pending a final decision from the court.
The ruling parties in Turkey decided to wait on this decision, which was
linked to many conditions and can be revoked at any time; therefore, the
life of Ocalan can in no way be considered secure despite the peace he
was
trying to promote. Ocalan is now a hostage in the hands of the Turkish
State. His prison conditions do not conform in any respect to
international human rights standards. As was revealed recently by his
lawyers, he is suffering serious
health problems.
The peace project which Ocalan devised and which was endorsed by the
party led to the peaceful withdrawal of the guerrillas from Turkey from
August 1999. All this has achieved a visible decrease in tension
throughout
Turkey, but especially in the war zone. Still missing are the concrete
steps from Turkey that could lead to negotiations and a peace
settlement. Two peace delegations comprising leading party figures of
the PKK who voluntarily returned to Turkey to press for negotiations
were immediately arrested, put on trial and sentenced to long prison
terms. Added to this, Turkish troops numbering 10, 000 have invaded
Northern Iraq in order to eliminate the Kurdish gurrillas who had
withdrawn there.
In the light of all this and to mark the anniversary of the death
sentence, the Kurds are organising a demonstration in Dusseldorf on
Saturday 24 June under the slogan, "No to the death sentence - Peace now
and Freedom for
Ocalan".
No to the death penalty
We are protesting against the death penalty everywhere as this is one of
the worst human rights violations still in existence and adds shame on
the new millennium.
Peace now
We demand support for the peace project from European governments,
especially in connection with the entry of Turkey into the EU. We call
for Turkish-Kurdish peace negotiations under international auspices to
be fully
carried out.
Freedom for Ocalan
The call will only be successful when the German government rescinds the
bans on Kurdish organisations and accepts Kurdish groups as partners in
negotiation. As long as the criminalisation of Kurdish groups and
institutions continues Turkey will see no reason to talk to the Kurdish
side, to give Ocalan his freedom as the initiator of the Peace Project,
and to sit with him at the negotiating table in the interests of all
parties.
Federation of Kurdish Associations in Germany YEK-KOM
fax 0049 211 17 11 454
or International Initiative fax 00492211393071
I/we support the call for the demonstration on 24 June 2000 and the
above
demands:
Name Organisation
Tel/fax
e-mail
Signature
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