ISTANBUL - A 39-person delegation from Europe submitted a petititon requesting to meet Abdullah Öcalan to the Asrın Law Office.
The Europen Forum for Freedom and Peace (EFFP), which includes academics, intellectuals, politicians, and journalists who were forced to leave Turkey due to government pressure, launced the campaign "I want to visit Abdullah Öcalan" to request a meeting with the Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan.
As part of this campaign, 39 individuals from various European countries arrived in Istanbul. The delegation’s first stop was the Asrın Law Office, which represents Abdullah Öcalan legally, to make contacts based on the democratic solution to the Kurdish issue and the physical freedom of Abdullah Öcalan.
During their visit, the delegation handed over a petition to the Asrın Law Office requesting a meeting with Abdullah Öcalan.
İbrahim Bilmez, a lawyer at the Asrın Law Office, thanked the delegation for their visit and said: “This is a very important initiative in the current process. You have come to meet Abdullah Öcalan, who is held in isolation on İmralı Island. As lawyers of the Asrın Law Office, we have represented Öcalan legally since he was brought to Turkey in 1999 through a conspiracy. Therefore, we have witnessed firsthand everything that has happened on İmralı. Of course, much of this witnessing has been painful. But there have also been hopeful times, when Mr. Öcalan had contact with the state and peace processes took place. For six months now, we have been in such a period again. These kinds of issues, which have historical, sociological, and structural backgrounds, are difficult to resolve. We need patience, effort, and above all, solidarity. Your presence here is very important in this regard.”
Following this, Italian parliamentarian Francesca Cerasani spoke on behalf of the delegation, saying, “We are here to show our solidarity with the people and Mr. Öcalan. We hope this effort will grow; that is why we are here to truly stand in solidarity with you.”