The brother of the Kurdish people Leader Abedullah Öcalan, Mehmet Öcalan spoke about the details of his visit to Imrali prison.
Where Mehmet Öcalan spoke to the Mesopotamia Agency (MA) about his visit with his brother the Leader Abdullah Öcalan.
Mehmet Öcalan said in the hour-long meeting, they spoke about the developments in the Middle East, the latest situation in Shengal, politics in Turkey, the hunger strikes and various other topics.
“THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I WAS PUT THROUGH SUCH BAD SEARCHES”
Mehmet Öcalan first spoke about the way he was taken to the island and said they passed through several search points before the visit. Öcalan said they were searched in great detail at the first checkpoint: “I have been visiting the Imrali island for 20 years, this is the first time I was put through such bad and severe searches. There is no match to this extremely meaningless practice. I was very disturbed, it was unacceptable. After passing through the first checkpoint, we went through 5 others. Then we were able to enter the prison. Families of other prisoners in Imrali were also there. They separated us in two. In the first area there was Veysi Aktas’s sister and Ömer Hayri Konar’s brother. In the second it was me and Hamili Yildirim’s family. The other 3 families held their visits in separate rooms, and we had ours in the hall.”
TO SHENGAL: THEY SHOULD CONTINUE TO BUILD THEIR FREE LIFE
Mehmet Öcalan said the people of Shengal love him and the Kurdish Freedom Movement. Mehmet Öcalan relayed his brother’s response as:
“That is true, and I love them very much. There are two events with regard to Shengal’s freedom. The first is Dewrese Evdi, and the second is the struggle of our friends. From Shengal to Raqqa, the Yazidi people were massacred throughout a wide area. But we have eliminated the forces that carried out the massacres in these areas and we have avenged the Yazidi people. For that we are glad. I send my infinite esteem and respect to the people of Shengal. They shouldn’t worry anymore, they should continue to build their free life.”
“PEOPLE OF NORTHERN SYRIA MUST STRUGGLE MORE”
Mehmet Öcalan said Abdullah Öcalan also spoke about Northern Syria and relayed his comments as: “The people of Northern Syria must struggle more for their freedoms. But they must do it together with all the peoples of Syria. For the unity of Syria, all the peoples must build a common life together. If they can manage that, nobody could end it.”
“POPULAR ACTIONS MUST DEVELOP”
Abdullah Öcalan told Mehmet Öcalan the following on the hunger strikes: “Hunger strikes are a method of protest, but they are only applicable to an extent. After a while, they can hurt everybody involved. From this point on, more democratic popular actions must develop.”
“NEW METHODS ARE NEEDED”
Mehmet Öcalan said Abdullah Öcalan had criticisms for both Turkish and Kurdish politics and said: “He stressed that the country is going through a time of absolute gridlock and that nobody can achieve results with policies of annihilation and war. He said the Turkish state needs new methods and that both the state and the PKK should develop new methods for a solution. He also said, ‘There can be no solution found over deaths. Methods must be developed that focus on the solution and that will lead to a dignified peace. There can be no solution through annihilation policies.’”
MESSAGE OF CONDOLENCES
Abdullah Öcalan also expressed great sorrow for the death of the prisoners who carried out sacrifice actions to protest the isolation during the hunger strikes. Öcalan sent his condolences to the families of each one of the persons who ended their lives and said he doesn’t wish these deaths to occur. Mehmet Öcalan relayed his comments on this matter as follows:
“THE ONES ON THE OUTSIDE SHOULD USE THEIR MEANS”
“These deaths have hurt both their families and me greatly. This is not right. Politics would continue over the hunger strikes up to a point, it can’t go on until the end. 8 friends ended their lives. There were hunger strikes in Europe and Southern Kurdistan, as well as the prisons in Turkey. The prisoners are already behind walls, they can’t engage with politics. They already live under harsh circumstances. The ones on the outside have many more opportunities and they could develop many more methods. The ones on the outside should organize and get stronger, and develop their democratic protests. This would be a better method.”
“WE CAN WORK THROUGH THE GRIDLOCK IF THERE IS OPPORTUNITY”
Öcalan criticized both the state and democratic bodies for the gridlock in the solution channels and stressed that they can work through it if there is an opportunity. Öcalan repeated his comment that “the issue won’t be resolved through war and death”.
Mehmet Öcalan said he asked Abdullah Öcalan whether the visits in Imrali will continue or not, and Öcalan said: “I can’t say the channels of communication have opened fully, but they haven’t closed either. We must wait. If these channels open fully, that will be good for all. If they close, that will bring destruction for all.”
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