ISTANBUL — A 39-member European delegation, visiting Turkey as part of a campaign to meet Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan, visited the Istanbul Provincial Organization of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party.

 

The delegation, organized by the European Forum for Freedom an Peace (EFFP) under the campaign “I want to visit Abdullah Öcalan”, includes journalists, writers, academics, unionists, parliamentarians, and legal professionals from several European countries. Their visit aims to call attention to the ongoing isolation of Abdullah Öcalan and to advocate for a democratic solution to the Kurdish issue.

 

After submitting a petition requesting a meeting with Öcalan to the Asrın Law Office, which represents him legally, the group visited the DEM Party’s Istanbul branch.

 

'INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT IS CRUCIAL'

 

The delegation was welcomed by DEM Party Istanbul co-chairs Arife Çınar and Çınar Altan, along with other party members. 

 

During the meeting, Co-chair Arife Çınar emphasized the importance of Öcalan’s statement made on February 27, describing it as a call that resonates beyond borders: “It is a call that can eliminate oppression, affirm the existence of identities and women, and allow them to become active political subjects. Your international solidarity and presence here are highly valuable to us. We see the struggle for peace and a democratic society as an international one. Mr. Öcalan’s philosophy aligns with this perspective. As women, with the slogan ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ (Women, Life, Freedom), we have built a shared movement with women both in Turkey and around the world.”

 

Co-chair Çınar Altan added: “We see you, visiting us at such a critical moment, as agents and architects of this historical period. On behalf of our party, I congratulate you for demonstrating such a will to be active participants in this moment.”

 

The delegation is scheduled to meet with DEM Party Co-chair Tuncer Bakırhan at 5:00 p.m. local time today.