Turkey in Crisis: Prisons, Women’s Rights, Trade Unions, Political Representation

Webinar on Tuesday, 23 March 2021 – 6:30-8:00pm GMT

Organised by Centre for Kurdish Progress, International Initiative “Freedom for Ocalan – Peace in Kurdistan”, Freedom for Ocalan Trade Union Campaign UK and Peace in Kurdistan.

Originally published: https://www.kurdishprogress.com/2021/03/18/online-talk-ocalan-and-the-road-to-a-peaceful-political-solution-of-the-kurdish-question/

A report back meeting with four members of the 2021 Imrali Peace Delegation who conducted a two-day mission in Turkey in February, which this time was virtual due to the Covid pandemic.

Speakers will be Clare Baker, International Officer UNITE the Union, Baroness Christine Blower, Ögmundur Jónasson, Former Justice Minister Iceland, Roza Salih, SNP candidate for Scottish Assembly and Kurdish human rights activist. The meeting will be chaired by Melanie Gingell, barrister and member of Steering Committee of Peace in Kurdistan.

The “visit” was in the tradition of former Imrali delegations who have gone to Turkey in recent years in support of the reopening of the peace process between the Turkish authorities and the Kurdish leadership, which was abruptly ended in 2015. There was a desire to emphasize the clear understanding that the absolute precondition for this process to be resumed is that the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan in Imrali prison be ended.

The delegation had meetings with representatives of human rights organizations, trade unions, women´s organization, lawyers associations, solidarity bodies with prisoners, political parties and representatives of Abdullah Öcalan´s legal team.

In the light of a marked deterioration of human rights now evident in Turkey – and this applies to all the fields that were considered – conditions in prisons, women´s rights, trade union rights, political rights – it was strongly felt by those whom the delegation met, that the international community was turning a blind eye to these alarming developments.

At this meeting the panellists will elaborate further on the themes of the visit and consider how the overarching aim of re-energising the quest for peace can best be advanced.

The full report can be found here: https://www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.com/pdf-imrali-peace-delegation-2021-report/