Tevgera Jinen Azad (Free Women's Movement - TJA) organized a "Women's Freedom" panel in Mersin. People's Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Mersin Deputies Perihan Koca, Nevroz Uysal and Mimoza Women's Association lawyer Figen Alp took part as speakers in the panel attended by women from many institutions and organizations, especially the Mersin and Adana Mothers for Peace Assembly.

 

Speaking at the panel, Lawyer Figen Alp drew attention to the ongoing lack of news about Abdullah Öcalan. Referring to the economic, political and social effects of isolation, Alp said: "Imralı Island Prison is very different from other prisons because we do not know what kind of execution law is applied."

 

Referring to international agreements, Alp stated that a separate law is applied in Imralı. Alp said: “We do not know what treatment applied to Mr. Ocalan. In order to solve the Kurdish issue, negotiations must be held with Mr. Abdullah Ocalan. We went through this process too. When the state realized that it had no interest in this process, the process was terminated and a period of chaos began again. We, as the Kurds, are aware of this, but we are also aware that our struggle will not end.”

 

CLOSENESS TO IMRALI IS CLOSENESS TO PEACE'

 

DEM Party Şirnex Deputy Nevroz Uysal also stated that none of the "prisoner rights" have been implemented for Abdullah Ocalan for 25 years. Uysal said: “After 25 years of captivity, Abdullah Ocalan's freedom must be ensured. For this, we need to discuss how to expand the Justice Watch. Isolation has many aspects, one of which is law. There is no law in Imralı. For 25 years, when the state wanted war on the Kurds, it aggravated the isolation in Imralı, and when it "wanted peace" it weakened the isolation in Imralı. Closeness to Imralı indicates closeness to peace. As long as Mr. Ocalan is held in isolation in Imralı, there will be no peace in this country. For 25 years, whenever the isolation got worse, major massacres were committed.”

 

'THE PURPOSE OF OUR STRUGGLE IS OCALAN'S FREEDOM'

 

Pointing out the deadlock in the Kurdish issue, Uysal stated that Kurds always demand a way to be paved. Uysal continued her speech as follows: “World states can find a solution to the Kurdish issue today. This solution will be either a slave Kurd or a free Kurd. What will be the solution if there is no Ocalan? That's why experiments are being carried out on us today. We will either achieve success in this struggle worthy of the prices and sacrifices we have made and achieve the status of the Kurds, or our children and grandchildren will continue to live under these pressures for another 100 years and 500 years. If so many women have come together here while hunger strikes and justice watchs continue, it is a result of expectation. The purpose of our struggle is the freedom of Mr. Abdullah Ocalan."

 

'WE WILL FREE OUR LEADER'

 

Mother for Peace, Meryem Erbey talked about Abdullah Ocalan's role in women's freedom. Erbey said: "If our Leader valued women so much, we, women must also struggle in a manner befitting this."

 

Calling on women, Erbey said “As thousands of mothers, we must stand up against the game being played on our children. Every negotiations are based on the blood of the Kurds. Our work will not be finished as long as our Leader is there. The Turkish state causes Turks to die as much as it causes Kurds to die. For this reason, I also call out to military mothers; They must not sell the blood of their children, they must stand with us. Women must not underestimate themselves. The eyes of the world are on us.”

 

DEM Party Deputy Perihan Koca touched upon the common struggle. Koca said: “The country has been turned into an isolation reality, but we can break this. With this stubbornness, we will fight together in our common struggle. We will continue our struggle on the path paved by Mothers for Peace.”